


Converging Lanes: An Olympic Training Series

by Shameless_Fujoshi



Category: Free!
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow jobs and hand jobs, Dirty water talk, Established Relationship, Frottage, Future Fic, General Free! Crack, M/M, Nagisa You Little Shit, Racing as Foreplay, Rimming, Sharkbait angst, Sharkbait fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-11-23
Packaged: 2017-12-24 11:57:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 29,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shameless_Fujoshi/pseuds/Shameless_Fujoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They go to America to train for the Olympics. Rin and Haru, they need each other to fulfill their dreams, to set themselves free.<br/>This is a series of interludes strung together from the beginning to the end of their journey for an Olympic gold, as well as an observation of these two as lovers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Your Mark

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any typos; I beta'ed everything myself.

They left for training in March, right after graduation.

All the Iwatobi boys (and Gou) saw them off at the airport.  Nitori came too, because he'd become a good friend to Rin and had grown closer to the Iwatobi swimmers over the last year. Nagisa had been weepy (he kept crying on the shoulder of speedo megane) and Makoto had been annoyingly incessant.

“Rin, you have to make sure Haru eats foods other than mackerel. He sometimes likes to put pineapple on his fish, but that’s not enough of a variety. You guys are going to be swimming a lot now so you have to eat a ton of carbohydrates, too! I sent you both an e-mail with a few diet plans, just in case they don’t regulate that kind of stuff in American training centers, though I don't see why they wouldn't...anyway, you guys are going to be at a high altitude so make sure to take it slow at first and drink a lot of water because I heard that helps. And…”

“I _get it_ already, Makoto,” Haru cut in because Makoto hadn’t taken a single breath since he started speaking. “I’ve been living by myself since I was fifteen. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Eheh, you’re right, I worry too much, don’t I?”

“Mako-chan is like a worried mother! Haru-chan and Rin-chan are going off to America to train for the Olympics, so lots can happen, right? Hey hey! Pack me in your suitcase so I can meet some cute American girls, too!”

“Nagisa-kun!” Rin always saw Nagisa as the type to cling to others, so it didn’t seem odd that he’d been hanging all over Rei. But the way they were fighting now (“Rei-chan, we can have a ménage-à-trois!”) it seemed like there was something else going on, but he had more important things on his mind.

Like how he was going to spend nearly a whole day traveling with a guy that couldn’t be away from water for more than five minutes.

Not to mention, Haru had never been on an airplane before, so Rin wasn’t sure how Haru felt about flying. Every time he so much as alluded to it the topic was brushed off, _It can't be helped; it's the quickest way to get there_ , was always his response, so Rin quit bringing it up. Even though he’d gotten to know Haru more intimately over the past year, his response could either mean that he’s really okay with it and he’s sick of Rin nagging the topic, or he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s actually scared. Rin couldn’t tell which it was.

Even Makoto, Haru’s best friend since they were in Elementary school, couldn’t tell what Haru’s real feelings were regarding this new adventure.

They’d had a long talk, Rin and Makoto, when local sponsors began throwing offers their way. Makoto knew Haru better than anyone and quickly became Haru’s manager when recruits called.  Haru would just give them Makoto’s number and hang up, not really knowing how to deal with those things anyway. Makoto offered to take on Rin’s sponsors too, but it wasn’t until Rin realized that he wanted—no, he _needed_ —Haru to be with him, that he’d agreed. Haru always called him selfish, and yeah, he was selfish, but no other swimmer had ever motivated him to train his ass off like Haru did. And conversely, Haru would never even attempt Olympic training ( _It’s too bothersome_ , he’d say) if Rin didn’t harass him with challenges. They needed each other to make this work, and although it was Rin’s dream (his father’s dream) Haru was finally living for a purpose.  They were fortunate to have Makoto, because if it weren’t for him, they might not have this opportunity to train together.

And Makoto was the only other person on the planet that knew Rin and Haru were lovers.

Rin wasn’t sure how their relationship would work out with the hectic training schedule they were about to face, since it’d been difficult enough in High School to meet up for more than just naps together. He’d faced training in a foreign country alone once, but now that he knew what Haru’s warm body felt like pressed up against him in sleep, he couldn’t give it up. He _could_ if they absolutely _had_ to be apart for short periods, but he’d feel less complete, because nothing he felt before—the rivalry, the passion for swimming, even the high from winning—none of it compared to how his chest tightened when Haru would nuzzle into his neck before bed, or how his stomach flipped when Haru’s chapped lips would press against his with coy hesitation, or how his cock would stir from the choked noise Haru made _every time_ Rin suckled the skin behind his ear.

He wondered if these things meant he _really was_ in love with Haru. Sometimes he felt too far gone when they were tangled together, breath thick on skin and hips writhing enmeshed. Sometimes he wondered why he hadn’t seen it before, how their coming together was inevitable. They were born to race, motivate, love each other. What a stupid question; of course he was in love with Haru.

Rin didn’t notice when he'd started to shake. It didn’t register until after he bid his farewells: ruffled Gou’s hair, patted Nagisa’s back when he was attacked with a hug, offered Makoto, Nitori and Rei a bow. It wasn’t until Haru slipped his warm fingers through Rin’s when they were sitting at their gate that he realized how cold and clammy his own were. Haru squeezed his hand.

“You’re dragging me along, so don’t get nervous on me now.” Haru looked off into the distance, eyeing a vending machine filled with water.

Rin squeezed his hand back, “Of course you’re coming with me.  You swim for me.” If Rin hadn’t been so attuned to Haru’s every movement, he might miss the slight nod, or the way his lips curled into a smile before ironing back into his usual stoic mien.


	2. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin loves training, but Haru is losing interest in anything outside of aquatic training, so Rin has to think up creative ways to keep Haru focused.

Rin had always loved training.

The way his legs burned during his morning run, or how his abs throbbed after hundreds of crunches, and his whole body feeling like it was on fire after thousands of meters covered in the pool. Rin loved training because the ache in his muscles was proof that he was becoming stronger.

But that damned idiot Haru was holding him back.

It wasn’t that Haru necessarily _hated_ training, but he often got bored with repetitive exercise outside the pool.  When Haru didn’t have a tangible goal in front of him, he lost focus and reverted back to aquatic training because everything else to that guy was _too bothersome_. For a swimmer of course it was important to spend as much time as possible crawling back and forth in the water, but Rin wasn’t satisfied with a pool-only program, because it wouldn’t help them improve.  The non-aquatic coaches were getting so fed up with his indifference toward training that they were offering less and less help, setting him back.

And if Haru fell behind, Rin would, too.

So Rin talked to the other athletes to see if other ideas came up. Some of the weight lifters would do bike interval training.  They’d tried, but ten minutes in, Haru got bored and headed for the pool. The basketball players would do ladders for agility, and Haru giving up this one was Rin’s fault.  He’d never laughed so hard when Haru tried to run through the ladders but ended up on his face when his foot tangled in the rope. Rin even talked to other swimmers that apparently did dance training, but at the word “ballet” Haru shot him a look so severe that he never brought it up again.

Rin was at the end of his rope, when he noticed during their morning run (the one dry activity Haru would put up with) how Haru would always try to run a step or two ahead of him. When he picked up the pace, so did Haru, and suddenly Rin realized that Haru’s competitive streak with Rin was not reserved only for swimming.

So Rin turned every dry training opportunity into a competition between them. He’d constantly tell Haru how many crunches he’d done, he’d brag about how steep the interval was on his stationary bike, he’d say things like, “Hey, I bet you can’t climb that rock wall,” and suddenly they were cross training by wall climbing, too. Rin was so absorbed in the heightened competition that sprung up between them, that he didn’t even think before the words left his mouth.

“Whoever wins this one gets to top tonight.”

Haru gasped, not because Rin was suggesting something so brash in public (they were the only ones there that understood Japanese anyway), but because this was their foreplay. Rin could tell by the way Haru avoided his gaze and the red rising in his cheeks.

“Yeah, well you prefer bottom anyway so might as well let me win.”

Rin barked and threw his head back laughing. “I may enjoy having you inside me, but I still have my pride.” Rin didn’t hide his grin, wanting the intimidation to drive up the competition. “I won’t just _let_ you win. You know me better than that.”

“Yeah, so hurry up, the pool’s about to close. How many meters are we racing?”

“100 meters, freestyle.”

“Of course.”

They'd been told it was the Saturday before Easter, and the pool was always closed Sunday. Even the lifeguards, coaches and medics had cleared out, finishing up last-minute paperwork so they could head home to their families for the holiday. They were alone, and Rin had to distract himself from that fact before his cock stirred and made him forget about racing.

But they couldn’t be sure who would win without someone to time them, so Rin hurried to find anyone that was still on site. The stopwatch, really, was just for pretenses, as they were more concerned in just beating the other rather than the actual time. He found a janitor that agreed to leave his duties for five minutes, and returned to find Haru stretching in front of the start block.

Yes, this was what he wanted. He could feel the heat radiating off his boyfriend, the drive to win, and in turn it swelled that determination in Rin. His nerves thrummed in anticipation, his muscles heating up as he swung his arms, cricked his neck, snapped the strap of his goggles in preparation to race.

They took their places on the block, the janitor gave them a mark, and then they dove.

Slicing through the water, feeling it slide over his muscles, Rin always felt in sync with the water like this, when it seemed to carry him forward. His fingers reached and pulled him stroke by stroke toward the opposite wall, but before he could flip and propel himself back the other way, he felt it, the ripples indicating Haru was already ahead of him. His push-off brought him back in line with Haru, though, and through the last leg they were neck in neck, reaching for the wall at the same time.

~*~

Rin shut the door behind them and shoved Haru against it, not even giving them a moment to remove their shoes. Haru melted back, allowing Rin to flush their bodies together, and he could feel Haru’s dick pulse against his thigh. He leaned in and bit his collarbone, drawing a gasp from Haru. Before Rin could move up to his face Haru shoved him against the opposite wall and leaned down to slip off his shoes. Rin was just catching his breath as Haru walked across the room and sat on the bed.

He kicked his own shoes off and dove across the room, pinning his boyfriend against the mattress, diving right into his lips. He loved kissing this guy because Haru would slide his hands through his hair, across his cheek, sometimes even rub away tears with his thumbs. Right now, though, the kiss was nowhere near sweet, and Haru gasped when Rin bit his lip and then sucked the bruised skin into his mouth.

Haru pushed him away again. “Hey, slow down.” But it was difficult for Rin, because everything about this guy drove him crazy with passion. One look from him made Rin want to devour him, to take him into his body and never let him leave. “I’m the one that gets to call shots, remember?”

“Yeah but you know I’m always on top, even when I bottom,” Rin winked as he let Haru pull his shirt up and off. Haru ran his fingers down his chest, over his abs, burning every inch. When he reached the bulge in Rin’s legskins he cupped it, and a moan rumbled in his throat.

“Take them off,” Haru demanded, and Rin didn’t hesitate, standing up to strip off his suit as Haru shed his jammers and T-shirt from the bed. He crawled back over and groaned as their naked flesh brushed together, and then their lips twisted into a fresh kiss.

Rin was getting lightheaded when he felt fingers at his hole. “Loosen it up” Haru mumbled against his lips, and Rin felt along the ground for the tube they usually kept there. He found it, and coated his fingers, reaching back to open himself, prepare himself so Haru could fit inside him.

And when he stuck a third finger in he was moaning shamelessly into Haru’s shoulder, humping against his lover’s dick, neck burning where Haru was pressing kisses. He rolled to the side and stared into his boyfriend’s wanton gaze, communicating what he wanted but couldn’t say. But they’d always been acutely aware of each other, and had grown to know what the other wanted through body language and eye contact.  This was no exception, and Rin clutched the pillow, howling into the sheets as Haru mounted him from behind.

The first stroke always killed him, but he’d come to desire this, to crave the pain that came with Haru’s first thrusts before the pain morphed into a heated tingle that traveled up his spine and burst out his chest.  Haru’s nails digging into his hips as he moved faster, and yes, right there, that spot that Rin would arch his back so Haru would hit on every pass. He fisted his cock and it only took a few tugs before he was gasping with his release.

He was still rasping into the pillow when Haru nudged him, and Rin flopped onto his back.  In less than a beat his thighs were shoved against his chest and Haru pushed back into him. This second time was always better because his nerves were still sparking and Haru liked to bury his face in Rin’s neck when he came. Rin didn’t come again, but it was still amazing, floating down from such a high when Haru groaned into his throat and heat flooded his ass with his lover’s release.

He bit Haru’s shoulder, and when he felt the moan against his skin he suckled the marks he’d left. Haru raised up on his elbows and leaned in to kiss, these much lazier and unhurried, coaxing tongues and brushing lips.  Fingers danced through hair and stroked cheeks while hearts relaxed their beats. It was these moments Rin could sigh and feel content, and just like this Rin understood why Haru wanted to sink into the water and never resurface. It was warm, cozy, so even when Haru withdrew from his body and nuzzled into his neck, his calming nerves, each place their skin touched, the way they wrapped around each other made him think that yeah, he’d have to keep provoking Haru if this was the result.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Haru is in competition with _Rin_ , and not necessarily with Rin’s swimming, and we see this in how Haru picks up running when they’re kids _just because Rin does_ in _High Speed!_ But I can also see that as Haru becomes more accustomed to Rin, that he could start losing interest again in anything other than Rin and water, so that's where the inspiration came from for the beginning of this piece. I don't know _how_ it morphed into foreplay, though, lol! I had the idea for the second half already, so I'm glad they worked out together ^_^


	3. 'No People' Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru has 'no people' days.

Haru has ‘no people’ days.

Well, Haru isn’t social to begin with, but there are some days where he doesn’t want to interact with people at _all_. He still trains (sometimes more rigorously if it means others will leave him alone) but on these days, even Rin can only get Haru to make half-assed grunts and second-long eye contact. Rin isn’t sure at first how to handle this temperament (he tried to goad the guy into talking, but somehow that backfires in this mood), so he waits it out and lets Haru come back to him.

Haru is so anti-social, that with people he doesn’t like, he pretends to not understand English. Rin ends up having to play interpreter on these days. Blunt and irritable as Haru can be, Rin often finds himself giving the other party a sugar-coated translation that half the time doesn’t make sense in context (how do you tell a five-time gold medal winner that it’s _too bothersome_ to make small talk?).  Even though it pisses him off— _Fuckin’ asshole plays stupid and leaves me to deal with the morons; I can’t always be Makoto for him!_ —Rin puts up with it, because there’s a silver lining to Haru’s ‘no people’ days.

Because after training for 7 hours, after showering and drying off, he loves nothing better than to crawl into bed and for Haru to burrow into his side. On ‘no people’ days Haru is extra clingy, and makes the cutest sounds when Rin strokes along the skin of his neck.

And since Rin is selfish, he looks forward to ‘no people’ days, because he’s the only person in Haru’s world at that time. He knows this because while exiting the dining hall on one of those days, Rin had kept more distance than usual, and Haru tugged on his tank top, eyes averted and said, “You’re annoying.”

“T-the fuck!? Where did that come from, asshole!?”

“No, I mean quit ignoring me today. It’s annoying.”

That’s the most Haru’s ever spoken on a day like this, but Rin will take it, even if it means Haru never utters another word again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was quite short and sweet! Get ready for some angst in the future.


	4. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin trains _too_ hard, and gets himself sick...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it’s like half-angst, half-fluff. I tried, I really did, but I want these two boys to be happy so badly, so this is going to end up being another sappy chapter in the end. (This one's from Haru's POV!) Enjoy!

Rin was training too hard and it was irritating Haru.

Training is 6 days a week. They start out every day by running the perimeter of the campus twice, then spend 5-7 hours in the pool, broken up by various dry exercises. On days they go rock climbing, they cut out other land training. They also have physiotherapy, sport massage and scheduled sauna visits throughout the week.  Rin starts to cut down time in physiotherapy— _I don’t need that if I’m not injured!_ —and skips his sauna visits (which they were told was important for endurance and to help their muscles recover) in favor of evening jogs. It’s annoying, and Haru wants to tell Rin that if he doesn’t get back on the schedule they were given (the schedule _Rin_ had originally signed them up for!) then he’d go home to Japan.

But he’s been trying to censor what he says lately.

Because he’d accidentally pissed the jerk off the week before. He didn’t mean to provoke the guy (who was a crybaby anyway), it just kind of came out when Rin was flapping his lips.

_“Hey Haru, swimwear is great, right? Did you notice those blonde swimmer chicks checking out our bulges? Bet they’d like to see what us sexy Japanese guys looks like_ down there _, right?”_

_“Really? Well mine’s bigger than yours anyway.”_

Haru smirked as Rin’s pale, wide-eyed reaction surfaced in his memory. Serves the bastard right; he shouldn’t be looking at any other swimmer other than Haru. That had been the agreement: try to out-do the other, because they found their last year in High School that it was the quickest way for them to improve. Focusing on too many other swimmers and trying to keep all their specialties in check was too bothersome; this was the best road to improvement for them. Apparently Rin wasn’t holding up his end, so serves him right.

Since then Rin hadn’t really said much to him and instead began spending less time in the recovery buildings and more time running and cross training outside when the facilities closed. Haru waited almost a week (it wasn’t his fault Rin was self-conscious about how _big_ he was; it wasn’t like Haru said he didn’t like it) before he gave in. If he left that selfish guy alone for too long he’d keep ignoring Haru out of sheer stubbornness.

So when he knocked on the guy’s door that Friday morning, he expected to hear an irritated _Fuck off_ since Rin seemed to always know when it was Haru at the door. Instead he heard bedsprings squeak and a muffled cough before Rin opened the door.

“Whaddya want?”

“You look like shit.”

Rin chuckled and scratched at his shoulder. “Yeah well thanks a lot. You come to tell me your hair’s prettier than mine, too?”

“No, I…” what _had_ he come here to say? He hadn’t really thought about _what_ he’d say, because usually Rin or Makoto, or even Nagisa would know what he was thinking and address it for him. Besides, Rin should know why he’s here anyway.

“Look, I’m feeling pretty crappy, and I don’t want to get you sick, so just go back to your room for now. We’ll talk later.” Before Haru could object Rin shut the door and locked it.

~*~

Haru had figured that Rin would take it easy the next couple of days so he could get over whatever virus had him sick, but even though Rin stayed away from the training centers, Haru had seen the guy running around the campus instead.  Haru knew that idiots can’t be reasoned with, so he left the guy alone to train himself to death.  Haru expected the moron to be running laps Sunday, too (even though it was supposed to be their resting day Rin had turned deaf to that suggestion many times) so when Haru knocked on his door again, he wasn’t surprised to hear no answer, but something felt off, and when he was heading back to his room, his heart dropped to his stomach to find a group of guys standing outside his own door.

“Hey. You’re that other Japanese guy. Haruka, right?”

“Where’s Rin?”

“Oh! You _do_ speak English! I figured since that other Asian dude always translates for you…”

“ ** _Where’s Rin?_** ”

“Uhh, he’s in the hospital.”

“What?”

“Sorry, I figured you would’ve known since you always spend all your time together.”

“Where?”

“They took him in about an hour ago. You need a ride?”

Haru looked at his feet and nodded, his throat suddenly so tight he could barely breathe.

~*~

It was influenza.  Apparently they’d found Rin in the entryway to the dorms, wheezing on the floor next to the door and barely conscious. They’d called an ambulance right away, and now that selfish asshole was laid up in the hospital.

Haru paused by the door, thinking that underneath all that tubing and wire, Rin looked a lot like his grandmother had before she’d died.

_Once you’re twenty, you’re just an ordinary person._

His grandmother had taught him that, but Rin was fighting against it. They were eighteen, two years to go until they hit twenty, and with every bone in his body Rin would not accept that he could be just ordinary.  Rin wouldn’t accept that _they_ could be ordinary.

Haru knew that Rin was chasing ghosts, that pursuing this dream to become an Olympian made him feel closer to his father. He was still an ordinary boy mourning his dead father, but even so, Rin would never be ordinary to Haru.

Because the typhoon that killed Rin’s father was the catalyst that brought them together. As long as they lived, they would compete, race, measure off against each other, and if they allowed it, they would…

Haru looked up when he heard a shuffle from the bed. Rin wheezed and shifted, then lay still again, breathing labored.  He approached the bed and brushed his fingers over the guy’s hand, but Haru couldn’t say anything, because suddenly he felt ashamed to be in Rin’s presence. He’d all but slacked off on training this week. Without Rin there to goad him, to irritate him, he didn’t push himself.

He’d be ordinary if it weren’t for this idiot.

Haru found a chair and dragged it to the bed. He adjusted the surgical mask they’d given him and grabbed Rin’s hand and laid his head next to their tangled fingers.

~*~

Haru wakes up at six am, the time he usually would to begin his training day. Instead of rolling over in his bed, he finds his muscles are stiff and he’s sitting upright, and then he remembers why he’s at the hospital. He yawns and moves to straighten his back, and nearly jumps out of his skin when a hand strokes his hair.

Rin is awake, though just barely. He doesn’t know if they’d given him any sort of tranquilizer to force him to rest, but he seems to be fighting to stay conscious.

Haru leans into the hand and turns his head so he can nuzzle Rin’s palm. He presses a kiss, though it feels muted through the paper of the mask in the same way his week had been fuzzy without Rin to liven it.

“You’re…gonna get…sick” Rin rasps, his cough dry beneath the oxygen mask.

“And sick people shouldn’t talk.”

Rin barked, coughing harder, but Haru could tell from the way his cheeks lifted that he was laughing. “Do you…remember…our first race?”

“Yeah, you were making an idiot of yourself sprawled out on the floor.”  Rin’s cheeks pinch tighter. “I thought you were crying because you lost”

“No…” His eyes were sparkling despite how heavy they looked. “I was… _irritated_ …because you…you came…out of nowhere…and passed…passed me up...I wasn’t…expecting you.”

“Yeah, well I wasn’t expecting you, either. You kind of forced your way into my life.”

“I…had to.” Rin stroked his cheek again. “You wouldn’t…look…look at me…otherwise.”

“Well your presence has always been like a thick fog closing in around me. It’s difficult to _not_ look at you when you’re all I can…what?”

Rin shook his head and his lip quirked up. “Just…thinking…maybe with…that poetry…you’re more…of a romantic…than me.”  He was certain that if Rin’s fever weren’t so high that he’d be able to feel Haru’s cheeks heat from where his fingers stroked. He didn’t respond, because Rin shouldn’t be talking so much and by the dopey smile beneath the oxygen mask, Haru was sure he’d just say more embarrassing things.

“…ve you…”

“Huh?” Had he heard him right? Was that just the nonsensical babbling of an ill man?

“Go…home…” Rin rasped. “Train…”

“In Japan?”

“No…” Rin’s hand slipped from Haru’s face; he was losing his strength as his body warred with the virus. “Our home…again…I need…to catch up.” And as Rin was finally pulled under, Haru understood. Rin wanted him to keep training, to train harder, because when he recovered, he would still need to reach the bar Haru always set for him.

Because they’d never be ordinary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe that Haru’s grandmother’s saying: “When you’re ten, they call you a prodigy. When you’re fifteen, they call you a genius. Once you hit twenty you’re just an ordinary person.” applies to the fact that someone can be born with talent, be called a prodigy, a genius, but if they waste that talent and don’t build on it, by the time they hit twenty they become just an ordinary person. I think Haru misunderstands his grandmother's saying in the anime, but he'll eventually get there. ^_^


	5. Spoiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Rin is selfish, then Haru is spoiled.

If Rin is selfish, then Haru is spoiled.

Because even from Japan Makoto can’t stop acting like a fucking mother hen.

_How’s training? Is Haru having trouble with the language barrier?  Is he eating enough?   Are you guys getting at least eight hours of sleep a night? Is he changing his jammers at least once a day? Has he found anything he likes to eat other than mackerel?_

Rin _almost_ felt bad for the half-assed response he sent— _Training’s fine; Haru’s alive_ —but Rin hated the depth of Makoto’s concern over the guy. _Sure_ those two had been friends for longer than Rin had known Haru, but even that fucking _irritated_ him.

But Haru, that asshole, never checked his e-mail (an account Makoto had set up) so Makoto ended up whining about Haru’s well-being through him.  And then there were days when Rin was replying to e-mails and Haru would distract him by curling around him from behind, slide a hand up his shirt and nuzzle into his neck. Because the guy would never usually say it outright, this was Haru’s way of saying “hey, don’t ignore me” and also “I’m horny, fuck me.”

So _spoiled_.

Because Rin can’t deny Haru when he stares at him with that adorable innocent-like gaze, he’d turn around and pin the guy to the bed, attacking his lips.  And when Haru would press his thigh into Rin’s steadily hardening cock, replying to Mama Makoto and whomever else was quickly forgotten.

Today was no exception, and Rin growled into Haru’s ear as he pressed into the guy from behind. Haru grasped the sheets in his palms and his toes curled against the linoleum of the floor. Rin straightened up and began moving, sliding his fingers along the ridges in his lover’s spine.

He started slow, because Haru wasn’t used to this. Usually Rin preferred bottom, but some days he needed to assert his dominance, to show this guy that he _belonged_ to Rin. Even with Makoto half a world away, the mere thought that anyone could know Haru better than him fucking pissed him off.

“Ah…” Haru’s body trembled as his ass clamped around Rin’s cock. Rin smirked because even though he couldn’t see the guy’s face, he imagined it was glowing with a beautiful flush. Haru was always so shy when he was on bottom, and Rin’s chest swelled as he realized he was the only one to know _this_ Haru, emotions laid bare from passion, and he hoped to be the last.

Rin molded himself to his lover’s curved spine and nipped at his ear. “Oh? Did my cock find your good spot?” Haru muffled a whimper as Rin began to move again. Usually Haru would snap back with _quit saying such annoying things!_ but when he was really feeling it, when it was feeling _really_ good he’d bite his wrist to avoid making too much noise. To move Haru to the point where the guy had to physically hide his emotion made Rin crave more.

“Maybe next time I’ll fuck you in the shower.” Rin’s cock was clenched tighter and he reached around to stroke his lover’s dick. “Be prepared. Next Saturday, after everyone’s gone to bed.”

Haru’s breathing was frenzied now, but it wasn’t enough. “Imagine how it’ll feel, the water sliding down our bodies as I fuck you.”

Haru’s dick twitched a moment before he let loose a loud groan and came in Rin’s hand. Haru’s body shuddered wonderfully around Rin and he couldn’t hold on. Rin growled against Haru’s neck as he spilled into his lover, slowing his strokes as his cock was milked to completion. Haru slumped against the bed and Rin collapsed against his back.

As their bodies cooled, a memory came to Rin. Before they’d left for the US, Haru had accompanied him to visit the Matsuoka family plot. Rin wanted to properly introduce the guy that was making his father’s dream a reality.

But maybe that wasn’t necessary, because the whole time Rin had been chasing his father's ghost, it seemed his father was the one leading him to Haru. It was as if his father had known that only this guy could provoke Rin enough to train until his muscles gave out, that only this guy could help him reach this dream. Simply entertaining the thought that his dead father could have guided him to Haru had tears bunching in his eyes.

“Get off, you’re hea—what’s wrong?”

Rin grimaced as he pulled out of his lover. He crawled onto the bed and Haru followed, laying so they faced each other. “I just suddenly got the feeling that my father approves of us.”

Haru scoffed. “With that filthy mouth of yours, I’m not sure _I_ approve of us.”

Rin chuckled, nuzzled against Haru’s hair and kissed his forehead. “You like it when I start dirty-water talking.”

Haru hid his face so Rin couldn’t see him blush. “Just don’t start talking about the pool like that.”

“Why? Because then every time you see a pool you’d get hard thinking about…”

“It’s disrespectful!” He huffed, shocking Rin momentarily. It wasn’t long before Rin was laughing, though.  He pulled Haru flush against his body and tangled their legs.

“Okay, I won’t disrespect pool-sama.”

He felt Haru huff and nod against his cheek, and then in a small voice, “But next Saturday, we’ll still…”

Rin beamed. “Yeah, you go in first. Wash yourself thoroughly and I’ll come find you.”

Haru wrapped tighter around his torso, and Rin began planning how he’d use the shower to seduce this spoiled guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where on earth did _this_ come from? (T▽T) Somehow I think Rin would be a dirty talker when he’s got Haru like this.


	6. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is excited because the top swimming coach in the world is visiting their training center. But why does it irritate Haru?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping for Haru introspection during ep8 and I wasn’t disappointed. This chapter is dedicated to the beautiful development we witnessed last episode.

Rin’s butterfly is beautiful.

He seems to glide across the water, back arching majestically and arms curling to pull his torso. The way his body rocks and leaps out of the water on each stroke gives him the air of a regal sea creature.  Haru used to be jealous of this guy, used to fear Rin might feel the water better.  There isn’t anything to fear, though, when the water accepts them both.

Rin had been excited, because this week there was a record-breaking multi-gold medal winner that would be visiting the campus and giving tips on technique as a guest coach. Apparently the coach specialized in butterfly, but Rin promised to get the guy to watch Haru’s freestyle as well.

But Haru didn’t want to talk about it.

“Why are you being so stubborn?” Rin had finally cornered him in the locker room. It was the day before the guest coach was supposed to arrive. “Why are you even _here_ if it’s not to improve?”

Haru glared, slammed the locker door and headed for the pool.

“You’re gonna be there tomorrow.”

“I’m not.”

“It’s in your schedule.”

“I’ll do dry training.”

“You hate dry training.”

“I don’t mind running.”

“I already signed you up.”

“ _What?_ ” Haru stopped so suddenly that Rin smacked right into his back.  He shoved the guy against the wall and willed himself to not dig his nails too hard into Rin’s shoulder. They were already being teased for random hickeys and bite marks, though the other athletes somehow didn’t realize they were _together_ and Haru preferred it that way.

“Jeez, what’s your problem?” Rin clutched Haru’s wrists and pushed back. “I figured you’d want tips from a champion, too.”

It wasn’t that Haru _didn’t_ want advice from a coach that was obviously one of the best in the world. He’d be stupid to _not_ want it. It’s just that this guy…it’s all he talked about. Haru had never seen Rin so star-struck and he couldn’t figure out _why_ it pissed him off so much.

Haru dropped his hands and turned toward the door leading to the pool. “Just quit signing me up for stuff on your own whims.”

“Huh? _That’s_ why you’re upset?”  Rin scratched his neck. “I really just figured since it was filling up so quick that you’d _want_ me to get you on the list, too.” Haru turned so half his body was now facing Rin. “I mean, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and we might not get it again.”

Haru sighed and nodded once.

Rin beamed. “Really?  Okay, then today we’re gonna skip abdominal sets and instead study his races in the three Olympics he’s competed in and then…hey!” Haru had enough and he made off for the short course, not bothering to check if anyone else was in the lane before he dove in.

~*~

Haru knew it was childish (he could hardly understand why he was resorting to something like this) but he’d stolen Rin’s pillow. Rin couldn’t sleep without it, and it was currently held hostage in Haru’s closet. The asshole had quit pounding on his door an hour ago, but Haru couldn’t sleep, because he couldn’t understand _why_ this was bothering him so much.

Back in Elementary school, when Rin had come into his life like a typhoon, Haru was aggravated with the guy because he thought Rin somehow had a stronger connection with the water than he did. Instead of fighting over ownership, Rin had taught Haru what it meant to swim together, to _share_ the water. Rin showed him that the bond of a team could propel them into new speeds.

But then he broke that connection. Rin moved to Australia, taking his dream with him and cutting the ties their newly formed team had forged. And when Haru beat Rin their first year of Middle school, the second phase of their relationship began.  Haru always wondered that if Rin had won that competition, would he be free? Could he have gone back to the peaceful existence before Rin had invaded it?

No, because the moment Rin stepped into his life it created a ripple so large that his current was forever shifted. He could try to ignore Rin, but the guy would somehow always find his way back, no matter how far he drifted. At this point, Haru could no longer deny that he needed the waves in his life.

Then why was he so annoyed? It wasn’t the same as the irritation the guy brought to him in High school, whining about not being able to move on without a real race and then getting depressed when he actually won.  This was something different, something new.  He didn’t know what name to put to this feeling, this heated fear snaking in his chest.

He needed the water, to escape beneath the surface and to feel it encase him like a womb.  Haru twisted on his mattress, cocooning in the sheets, but he couldn’t stop his heart from pounding in his throat. Finally giving in, he threw his sheets back, retrieved the damn pillow from the closet and headed for Rin’s room.

He only had to knock once before Rin let him in. Handing Rin his pillow, Haru let him know he was coming in and headed straight for the guy’s bed. Rin sighed and locked the door, threw his pillow on the bed and melded his body against him from behind. Haru sighed, suddenly relieved as Rin’s arms slipped around his waist. 

Instantly his head cleared, and his heart slowed its beats, syncing to the body pressed to his. He traced his fingers along Rin’s forearm and sighed as he finally calmed down.

“You’re an asshole.”

Haru squeezed the guy’s wrist in apology as Rin gripped him tighter and nuzzled his hair.  Haru wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so content outside the water, and in his new calm he tried to consider again the source of his irritation, but Rin interrupted.

“I don’t know what has you so annoyed, but you know I was just trying to help.” Rin sighed and it sounded as if he were deflating. “I know I’m the one that brought you here, but it’s because I need you with me.”

Haru didn’t move a muscle as he waited for Rin to continue. “But it’s not entirely selfish. Because, do you remember our race in Elementary school? The way you leaped over me, at one point I couldn’t move. It was like watching a bird take flight, a really beautiful bird.

“I want to see that again.”

“You want to swim relay?”

“Maybe, well, no. I mean yes, I want to.”

“You realize that _is_ a selfish reason.”

“I know, but I can’t help it, because I’ve never felt more energized than when I swim with you.” Rin dug his nails into his skin. “And I’d completely lose it if you got snatched by another team.”

Ah, so that’s what it was. Haru shuddered as the name to this illness reared its green eyes.

“I’m scared,” he mumbled, so low that Rin’s ears barely caught it.  He was rolled so that Rin could properly lean down and brush their lips together.

“Me, too, but I’m right here, and as long as you don’t leave me, I’ll make sure we keep fighting for the gold.”

Haru turned his head and snorted, shoulders shaking as he held in his laughter. What a _corny_ romantic.

“The fuck, you asshole! You ruined a perfectly good moment.”

Haru wrapped his arms around his lover and burrowed into his side. Rin slurred a few more profanities and then sighed, settling back against his pillow.  He smiled as Rin’s breathing synced to his own.

“Thank you, Rin.”

~*~

Haru was impressed. The coach was apparently some American legend that had snatched so many medals it was nearly impossible to reach the bar he’d set. According to Rin it was blasphemy to be a swimmer and not know his name, but watching people swim was annoying if he couldn’t also be in water, so Haru had never really paid any attention to the Olympics.

Leaping off the starting block, Haru exhaled a stream of air as the water took him in. He propelled forward, the waves carrying him until he reached the surface.

He paddled back to the edge, watching Rin discuss something with the coach. He could only make out phrases, so he waited for them to finish.

“He said to try remain under water longer before you begin your stroke because you’ll create less drag if you stay under for as long as possible. Shouldn’t be a problem for _you_ , right?” Rin snickered and Haru pinched the guy’s calf that was half-submersed in the water.

Haru lifted himself out of the pool and arranged his stance on the block again. This time when he dove he slid beneath the surface and drifted through his dolphin kick. He was weightless, and it took no effort to ride through the water before his head touched air.

“Good, _perfect_!” The coach was clapping enthusiastically and rambling some more to Rin as Haru floated back over to them. He removed his cap and shook out his hair, then looked at Rin, waiting for an explanation.

“He said your dolphin kick is really strong, and you can use that to kill the competition. If you kick down deep on your turns, and use the technique he showed us for the loping stroke, then you’ll be ready for the trials!” Haru’s eyes widened at the light Rin gave off with his smile. He hadn’t seen it since they’d won the relay back in Elementary school, and he didn’t realize until now that he’d been desperately wanting to see it again.

The coach patted Haru’s shoulder and stood. “You have beautiful form! I can’t wait to see you in the Olympics!” He smiled and left to meet up with the next trainee.  

Haru sunk into the water, eyes barely above the surface to hide his blush. He was trying to memorize Rin’s smile, but the timing was wrong and Rin misunderstood.

“H-hey! You’re not supposed to get so excited over a compliment like that!” Haru rolled his eyes and lifted himself out of the pool again.

“Your fault for introducing us.” 

“F-fuck you.” Rin crossed his arms and huffed. “Look, if we’re gonna train for the relay, we’ll need to return to Japan eventually and train in Tokyo. We have to check out the competition to see if we can make it onto the relay team.”

Haru adjusted his cap and slipped his goggles back in place.

“We’re gonna spend the whole day tomorrow scouting the web for other Olympic hopefuls from Japan!”

He stepped back up on the starting block and closed his eyes, feeling out the pool in his mind.

 “I’m good at arranging this stuff, so until we get things settled, I’m leading this campaign.”

Haru chuckles and gets into position. “Okay, Rin-rin.”

A pause, and then, “What the _fuck_ did you just call me!?”

Haru smirks and then dives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the record, I love Rin’s reactions during Free! episodes 7 & 8\. They fit him perfectly, and I think it’s really beautiful character development. I think Haru would find them irritating, though, so that’s why I’ve written them this way.


	7. Phase Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Haru move back to Japan to begin the next phase of their training for the Olympics.

Three more months pass when Rin finds himself making plans with Haru to move back to Japan.

They move to a city just outside Tokyo and share an apartment that’s a few stops and one change from a training pool. Haru is really cute when he tells Rin they can live together since it’s too bothersome (and expensive) to have separate apartments. The space they find is perfect and even if it’s small, it has a moderate-sized bath tub.  They don’t spend much time there anyway, unless it’s to sleep, eat, or fuck.

Thanks to Makoto who got logistics rolling before their return, on the second day they start training with a coach. With their new schedule they start the day by running to the train station, riding the train to Tatsumi, and then running the distance from the station to the aquatics center. They now focus mainly on water training (to Haru’s delight) and by the time they get home (rather, they run home) they don’t have much time for anything but a shower, a bath, dinner, and sleep.

Rin’s never been more exhausted in his life. He’s also never been so fired up.

It’s harder on Haru, though, since he hadn’t been training like Rin had for years prior.  It’s a miracle, really, to think he’d come so far in just under three years.  Then again, Rin had always seen potential in the guy; he just needed the right spark to light the fuse.

Like before, they train 6 days a week and rest on the 7th. Sundays are lazy days (with their new regimen Rin’s so exhausted that he can’t manage to break their “no training on Sunday” rule) and are sometimes spent in the bathtub together, or curled up watching mindless variety shows on TV, or like today, naked and sliding against each other on the couch.

They’re exhausted, but it’s been a month, and they hadn’t done more than jerk each other off in the time between. So when Rin eases down on Haru’s dick, the pain lasts longer than usual. Haru trembles and seems to be willing himself to not start thrusting right away.  When Rin is fully seated, ass flush against his lover's balls, he sighs as his neck is peppered with kisses.  He grabs a fist of Haru’s hair and pulls the guy’s head back so he can look in his eyes. The sight of those usually distant blue eyes so focused and turning black with heat has Rin snarling and pulling the guy into a kiss.

Haru exhales sharply, the air fluttering against Rin’s cheeks. His arms slide up Rin’s back and nails anchor into his shoulder.  When the pain blossoms into pleasure he begins moving, grinding himself on Haru’s dick. 

Rin can tell this won’t take long. Haru’s cheeks are flushed, and his head lolls on the sofa back.  His breath is huffing staccatos and eyes are slitted. His fingers shake where they clutch flesh, and Rin’s never seen so much emotion in the guy's face, nor anything so beautiful.

He reaches around to prop Haru’s head up enough so that when Rin leans in their foreheads are pressed together.  Rin grips his cock with his other hand and jerks himself, so that when Haru is emptying a moan in his mouth and seed up his ass, he’s coming not soon after.

Rin is almost concerned when he feels Haru continue to tremble long after his orgasm has passed. The worry passes, though when Haru nuzzles into Rin’s neck and kisses once, twice, and stays pressed against his skin in the third kiss. Rin’s fingers thread in the guy’s hair, stroking gently, trying to lengthen the ride of endorphins for as long as possible. He groans as Haru’s softened dick slides out, but he’s the first to move and realize they need to clean up.

Haru sits there, limbs spent and melted into the couch, almost purring until Rin helps him up, guiding him to the bathroom. He remains dazed as Rin washes his body, moaning when the sponge brushes over sensitive points, and is docile as he’s lead into the tub. Rin slips in behind and pulls the guy against his chest.

“That good, huh?” Rin chuckles against the his ear and Haru shivers. He sighs and pulls Rin’s arms around him, slipping further into the water.

“Was it too much?” Haru shakes his head and his eyes slide shut.

“Just…tired…”

“Asshole, I’m the one that did all the work.” Haru huffs and Rin can’t help but laugh into the guy’s neck.

“Rin…”

“Hm?”

“G’night.”

“Huh? You falling asleep?” Haru’s response is a gentle snore. Rin sighs and settle back, and figures he can enjoy spoiling the guy for just a little longer.

~*~

“Oooh! Haru-chan you’re so buff!” This is Nagisa’s greeting when they meet him at the train station the following Sunday.  The kid had somehow grown to be slightly taller than Rin, but his personality hadn’t changed one bit. Rin smacked at Nagisa’s hand that was groping Haru’s shoulder muscles.

“Quit that.” Rin tried to growl at him but since Nagisa was now above his eye level it came off as more of a grimace. “I’ve been training, too! Isn’t it obvious?”

“Eeh? But Rin-chan, you already had muscle. You don’t look _that_ much different.”

“Why you—“

“Nagisa.” Haru’s sudden interruption grabbed their attention. “How’s Rei?”

Nagisa’s eyes widened for only a moment, but a light blush dusted his cheeks as he broke into a smile bright as the sun. “He’s great! Did Mako-chan tell you we’re moving to Tokyo?”

“You and that guy?” Rin was pretty sure it was the kid with the glasses.

“Yep! He got accepted into Todai, so I’m following and mooching off his dorm!”

“Are you even _allowed_ to do something like that?”

“I’m gonna be an actor!” Nagisa continued, ignoring Rin’s comment. “So make sure to watch every now and then, because you’re gonna see me on TV soon!”

“And Makoto?”

“Huh? I thought you’d been talking to him all this time?”

“Through e-mail,” Rin scratched his head. “Or phone, but training has been almost 24/7, and he hasn’t had a chance to visit us yet.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess since he’s going to school in Kyoto that _is_ kind of far. I saw him at New Years, though, and he seems really happy. Can you believe Mako-chan is gonna be a teacher? I can totally see that. Oh, hey!” Nagisa threw his hands in the air, almost looking again like the little shrimp that would follow them around with wondering eyes. “In March we have that couple weeks before first semester. I bet we can all meet up here then!”

Haru nodded and Rin shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

“You _guess_?”  Nagisa crossed his arms and glared at Rin, radiating disapproval. Rin was certain that if Nagisa were a bit taller and more muscular he might piss himself from the ominous aura surrounding the kid.  “Are you too big-shot now to hang out with your childhood friends?”

“N-no?”

The threatening fog surrounding them suddenly burst as Nagisa broke into a laugh. “Heh, you react just like Rei-chan, how cute!”

“Hey!”

“So waddya think?”

“Sure,” Haru answered for him. “But our day off is Sunday.” He shot Rin a quick glance that said, _you finish_.

“Yeah, so you have to tell us in advance, because sometimes we schedule other stuff.”

“Oh, so what do you guys _do_ on your day off?”

Rin’s face burned at the memory of their last day off, and he shot a desperate glance at Haru, who had turned away from them both. Rin could see his ears were bright red.

“Ahahahahahaha, I knew it! Rei-chan owes me money, woohoo!”

“You jackass!” Rin was gearing up for battle against this punk when Haru brushed past, sliding a hand along Rin’s waist as he walked.

“I’m leaving you two behind if you keep that up.” Rin closed his eyes and clenched his fists to calm his fury. He could hear Nagisa chasing the guy— _Haru-chan, wait for me!—_ but when Haru turned and inclined his head as if to say _hurry up_ Rin sighed and followed, face pink as the spot Haru had brushed still burned from his lover’s touch.

 _Welcome home_ , Rin thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write Haru losing himself so much in passion he couldn’t hide, and for Rin to find it mesmerizing <3  
> Also, I assume Nagisa would be even more confident and be able to tease Rin after he shoots up like a weed and his voice drops ;)  
> I'm also thinking of doing a Nagirei spin-off of their adventures in Tokyo.


	8. Waxing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin sometimes has horrible plans, and this is one of them.

This was the worst of Rin’s plans.

"Why can't we just shave like normal swimmers?"

Rin placed a hand on the small of his back and guided Haru down another street.  “Because, waxing instead of shaving means less ingrown hairs. All the Olympic swimmers are switching to waxing. _Plus_ , we have a competition in a few days, and I read on the internet that waxing makes your skin twice as smooth.”

“The _internet_?”

“Yeah, it was a swimming forum. Guys said they go in every 4-6 weeks for a touch-up. Besides…” Rin leaned in close. “Just think how smooth we’ll be _down there_.”

Haru jolted as his body seized up, lips tightening at what Rin was suggesting. The morning rush of people threw them glances as they moved along.

“What?”

“ _Everything_!?”

“Well, yeah.” Rin tugged at him to keep moving but with this new information Haru was barely fighting the urge to sprint in the direction they came. “I figure if we’re gonna get our legs and arms done, we can try this out, too.”

“ _That_ doesn’t help our time!”

“No,” Rin smirked and taking advantage of the empty side street they were on, pinched Haru’s ass. “But I heard that _certain stuff_ feels even better completely bald…”

“Hell no.”

Rin sighed. “Fine, just the legs, arms and stomach. _That_ at least will help our times.”

Haru nodded and they resumed walking, Rin leading them to a shop in a side street of Tokyo.

“Welcome!” Rin returned their greeting and lead Haru up a flight of stairs. A petite woman in a clean-cut frock signed them in.

“Did you both wear boxer shorts under your sweatpants?”

“I’m wearing a swimsuit.” Haru could feel Rin roll his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I brought you a pair of mine.”

The woman blushed. “Ah, yes, it’s best if you wear loose-fitting clothes after your treatment to prevent irritation. Is this your first time?”

“Yeah.” Rin clapped him on the back. “We’re swimmers, and we have a tournament coming up. We usually shave but…”

“I see. When’s your tournament?”

“Wednesday.”

“That’s perfect timing, however, I recommend that you take at least a full day off before training again.”

“No problem, tomorrow’s our rest day anyway.”

“Also, try to stay out of the sun for about a week, and wait a day or two to engage in any sexual activity.”

Haru turned away from the lady and Rin, burning with a blush.

Rin chuckled awkwardly. “Understood.”

“Wonderful. I have you down then for two full body…”

“NO.” Haru darted for the exit but Rin caught him before he could take more than two steps.

“Ahh, actually this guy is just gonna get the basics. Arms legs and stomach.” Haru relaxed and allowed Rin to pull him back to the counter. “As for me, I’m getting the works done, so feel free to wax anywhere below the neck!”

Haru glanced at Rin with uncertainty. The guy could do what he wanted with his body, but it really didn’t sound like a very good idea.

In the end they were lead to rooms situated across from each other.  Haru undressed, jammers and all, and pulled on the thin covering they’d given him. He lay on the table and waited for the esthetician to arrive.

He had mixed feelings. All this time they’d been training they’d let their body hair grow out to help, if even a little, with resistance training. They’d had a couple smaller tournaments, but they’d shaved for those. The lady at the front desk promised this would last for 3-6 weeks, so maybe Rin hadn’t been wrong in suggesting they get waxed.

Haru still wasn’t sure how he felt about having his body hair ripped out, though. It seemed like it would be painful, and…

**“FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!”**

That had definitely been Rin’s voice. Asshole, _he’d_ been the one that said this would be quick and relatively pain-free. If _he_ was screaming then…

The door opened and a middle-aged woman with a bright smile entered. In her hands was a tray with a cloth on top, covering its contents. Suddenly he felt as if he were at the dentist, and Haru _hated_ going to the dentist.

“So a swimmer’s wax for you today?”

Haru swallowed thickly and nodded. As the woman heated up the wax he braced himself for what was certain to be a painful experience.

~*~

“Crybaby.”

“Fuck off!” They were in the bathroom, Rin standing with his front against the wall as Haru applied an aloe-based lotion to Rin’s bright red thighs.  “She wasn’t holding my balls tight enough so when she ripped the cloth off it fucking hurt!”

Haru glares up at the guy. “ _Who_ was holding your balls?”

“The lady that waxed me. They have to so they can get all the hair—OWWWW! What the _fuck,_ Haru!?” He’d pinched the red skin, furious with how casual Rin was regarding _another person_ touching what was _his_.

“Don’t do this again.” Haru returns to rubbing lotion into the swollen skin. Rin sighs and turns so Haru can get his front as well. “It looks weird now.”

“ _Go to hell_.” Rin growls. “Are you telling me yours didn’t hurt at _all_?”

“Not really.” He was a little sore now, but the process itself didn’t hurt all that much.  Maybe the lady that did his wax was more experienced (or maybe it’s because he didn’t get his _balls_ waxed) but the whole thing didn’t hurt any worse than if he’d ripped a bandage off.

“Damnit, what if I can’t swim at the tournament now…?” Haru looks up and Rin is holding his face in his hands. “I mean, there are going to be even more sponsors scouting this time, and you know how important first impressions are! After all this work I've put into training…and if I try to just swim through the pain it’ll make the swelling worse. And…”

Haru stands and pulls Rin’s hands away from his face. He leans in, kissing a stray tear. “We still have tomorrow off. It’ll get better by Monday.”

“Yeah…” Rin sighs and drops his forehead to Haru’s shoulder. “They said about a day, right?”

Haru nods and kisses his boyfriend’s neck.  He reaches down for the lotion and works it into Rin’s arm.

“It doesn’t look _that_ weird, does it?”

“Like a bald worm.”

“F-fuck you!” Haru grins and moves to Rin’s other arm.

Maybe if Rin hears enough bald jokes, he won’t try something like this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by the Drama CD, if you couldn’t tell. ^_^
> 
> Also, when I was in high school, the swimmers at my school would let their body hair grow out, and then shave their arms and legs before meets. I think maybe other swimmers do this too?


	9. Plateau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has hit a plateau with his time, and Haru must help him re-discover how to be free.

Seeing Rin angsting in the shower at the training center was bringing up difficult memories for Haru.

It reminded him of that day a few years before when they raced freestyle as second years. Rin had won, and told him they’d never swim together again. At the time Haru never imagined hearing such a thing could devastate him, but looking back he realizes why.

Because to him, those words sounded like, _I’m breaking up with you_.

Haru thought it was ridiculous to feel something like that. They hadn’t been dating at the time, nor were they even getting along. That day Rin’s words had forced him to question so many things:

_Why do I need to win against him?_

_Why am I not free now?_

_Why do I swim?_

_Why Rin?_

Because that’s what it came down to: Why Rin? Even now Haru didn’t understand that. He didn’t understand why out of all the annoying people in the world, why did he gravitate to _Rin_?  The guy forced his way into Haru’s life, but then so had Makoto. So why not Makoto?  Even if he was a bit fussy, Makoto was a good friend. However, Makoto didn’t challenge him, didn’t push him. When he was down Makoto would give him space or coddle him, but Rin, most of the time he’d kick Haru’s ass back in shape.

Rin was everything Haru didn’t realize he needed.

And somehow, their relationship was still growing. Haru never realized when he’d started looking at Rin as he did now, but this guy, this guy that tried his patience, stretched his stamina, pushed his abilities to impossible limits, this guy was angsting because his time had plateaued.

For the last two months, his time hadn’t gone down at all.  At first he tried changing his water regimen and that actually made things worse. Then he tried different sets of legskins, jammers and body suits, but none of them made a difference.  They’d even called Rei (to Rin’s annoyance) to see if he had any calculation he might’ve derived in his three years swimming butterfly but not even that helped.

Haru didn’t know how to comfort Rin other than to hold him, kiss him, stroke his hair, and they could hardly do that given their current setting. He settled for slipping a hand on the guy’s shoulder. He didn’t ask, _Are you okay?_ because he didn’t want Rin to lie.  Despite their public location, Rin reached over and grabbed Haru’s free hand and squeezed it tight.

“Why won’t it go down further?” Haru didn’t have an answer for him, only squeezed his hand. He knew that there was no question of _if_ Rin would get on the Olympic team (so far his times had posted better than some of the men that had been on the _last_ Olympic team) but at the same time, Rin didn’t compete to just get into the Olympics, he was competing for the gold. Even Haru had the fastest time in his category and won every freetsyle competition he’d entered at the last tournament. They were gaining a lot of attention.

So when Rin leaned over and kissed him, it startled him, so much that he almost punches the guy.

“Do you realize where we _are_?”

“Yeah.” Rin paused, burning Haru with his gaze. “I don’t care.”

Haru sighed. They’d managed to keep this secret until this point and he was loathe to be found out now. He didn’t want any more attention than they needed. “C’mon, get dressed. Let’s go home.”

They run to the station and jog in place as they wait for the train. They stand still on the train, though (too bothersome to other passengers) and run home when they finally reach their stop. They’ve barely got their shoes off when Rin takes Haru’s bag, throws it to the ground and presses him into the wall with a kiss. 

Haru has learned to go with the flow when Rin is like this. It’s not that he dislikes it (he’s actually grown to crave how demanding this guy can be in their physical relationship) but he knows what Rin needs.  He slides one hand down to grasp Rin’s ass, pulling him closer, and the other tangles in the guy’s hair. He loves Rin’s hair, longer than the average guy would grow it, and it’s soft, smooth, despite the harsh chemicals of the pool. Even though they use the same shampoo, Rin’s hair has always been more delicate, and Haru loves feeling it whisper against his cheeks when they kiss, or against his thighs when Rin wants to taste him, or brushing his shoulder as the guy rides him.

Right now he knows what Rin needs, though, and he leads the guy to their couch. Crawling back into his lap Haru resumes their kiss, grinding down against his lover’s hardening cock and slipping the guy’s shirt over his head. He’s usually not the bold one when it comes to sex (Rin proves to be much more enthusiastic) but Haru can feel that this last week’s string of failures has really drained the guy’s resolve.

Haru moves down his body slowly, peeling away pants and legskins, suckling Rin’s nipples, biting at his hip, then finally nuzzling the guy’s balls. He inhales deeply, mouth watering as his head clouds over in his lover’s musk. He pulls the guy’s hips forward to the edge of the couch and Rin wails (quickly slaps a hand over his mouth) as he tongues the slit in his cock. Haru’s tongue needles as his mouth floods with saliva. Never in his life did Haru imagine how empowering it could feel to have this guy melting before him just by sucking his cock.

But as Haru strokes the vein with his thumb he looks up, and sees Rin biting his finger, holding back. This isn’t what he needs.

“Stop that.” Haru grabs Rin’s shirt and puts it near the guy’s mouth. “Cry into that if you need to, but don’t hold back today.”

“I’m not cryi—ahnnnn!” He’s glad he can shut the guy up by sucking hard on the head of his cock. Rin has given in and covers his mouth with the shirt, moaning deeply. The sounds he makes reverberate down his flank and into Haru’s mouth, making his own dick twitch. He can’t take the guy all the way in, so he strokes Rin’s cock with one hand and sucks the rest into his mouth, tongue dragging on the underside with each pass.

Haru can feel Rin’s body coil, thrusting subtly in time with every up and down. He’s holding back again, and Haru’s mouth makes an obscene _pop_ as he releases the guy’s cock.

“Let go.” Rin gazes at him, dazed, and Haru continues stroking with his hand. “Don’t think, just _feel_.”

Rin whimpers into the shirt as Haru takes him again into his mouth, sucking harder, twisting his hand on every pump, trying to pull out his soul.  And Haru knows the guy has finally started _feeling_ when he pushes at Rin’s thigh and it falls open easily, when he looks up and sees tears soaking into the guy’s shirt, when Rin’s free hand clutches at Haru’s hair. Rin huffs into the shirt, head thrown back, and a salty tang floods Haru’s mouth and the guy's body thrashes as he comes, _hard_. 

Haru’s face is burning watching his boyfriend come apart in such a raw manner and he wonders if he should feel ashamed that it’s got him harder than he’s ever been. As the last of Rin’s cum dribbles out, Haru licks his lips and sits back, palming his own dick. Rin has barely regained his strength when he motions for Haru to climb back on his lap. The guy slaps his hand away and with the last of his energy pulls down Haru’s sweats and jammers, and tugs at his dick, doubling him over so Haru is mewling into Rin’s soft hair. It doesn’t take long until Rin has drawn out his own release, cum painting the guy’s chest, and Haru sighs into his lover’s mouth as he’s drawn into another kiss.

“Sometimes you just need to let go.” Haru whispers against lips. “Let yourself just feel and be free.”

Rin snickers and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Are we talking about swimming or sex?”

“Both.” Haru draws back enough so that their foreheads are pressed together. “But you’re not feeling the water, you’re trying to push against it.”

“Hmmm.” Rin tilts in and presses another kiss to his lips.

The next day something heavy lifts in his chest as Haru watches Rin glide through the water with ease. He’s crushed his old time, and when their coach asks what changed to make Rin’s time drop, Haru quickly leaves the guy to answer for himself, leaping into the pool to allow the water to heal the heated flush on his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess some problems can be solved with a good ol' blow job (^▽^);


	10. Mackerel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just before the Olympic trials, Rin and Haru head back to Iwatobi to visit Gou and the Matsuoka family grave. Their visit has emotions stirring in Rin that he'd rather lay dormant.

The Sunday before the Olympic trials Haru makes curry.

They’re back in Iwatobi to visit Gou and the Matsuoka family plot. Makoto had to stay in Kyoto for his part-time work (though he'd be at the trials) and Nagisa and that kid they call "Rei" have already made their move to Tokyo. Nitori apparently was going to some college in the north but he'd already sent a half dozen e-mails promising _I'm going to Tokyo to cheer for you at the competition, Senpia!_ so their visit, for the most part, is fairly relaxing.

Rin’s mother is busy as usual, flittering between town meetings, work and fussing over the Matsuoka kids. Gou is on break until she starts college at a school not too far outside Tokyo. She's already moved all of her things and Rin was secretly thrilled to hear how close she’d be living to them, until he found out the reason why she’d wanted to go to that particular school.

Apparently she’s dating Mikoshiba.

When Rin found out it had taken the strength of three other Olympic hopefuls to pull him off the guy. Mikoshiba was training at the same pool they were using so it didn’t help that Rin saw him almost every day. Currently Rin is not speaking to his former captain, and is trying to talk Gou into reconsidering her taste in men.

“But Onii-chan, you were his underclassman, you _know_ he’s a good guy.”

“He’s too old for you.” Rin grabbed three mugs from the cupboard and went to set a water-filled kettle on the remaining available stove-top burner.

“He’s only two years older than me.” Gou was setting the table while Haru cooked.

“Exactly. Hey, what’s that?”

Rin was excited that Haru was making curry until he found out that the main ingredient was _mackerel_. He’d had mackerel curry once, and to be honest it’d been disgusting. He’d never been too for or against the fish, but with the amount this guy ate he’d had to put his foot down and demand they make other dishes once in a while.

One time Haru had special ordered a shipment of frozen mackerel that had lasted them for a _month_. There were only so many ways you could cook fish, and Rin was pretty sure they’d tried every single method. That month it had been mackerel for breakfast, mackerel in their bentos for lunch and mackerel for dinner. Haru, the bastard, seemed to be in a mackerel-induced-bliss that month, but Rin couldn’t eat fish three times a day like this guy.

Rin had even called Gou for suggestions on new dishes he could introduce to their diet. She’d e-mailed him a list of recipes and he’d talked Haru into learning a fourth of them.  He’d take that, though, over eating mackerel every damn day.

So he’d been pleasantly surprised to see the guy cooking curry, of all things.  From the color he’d originally assumed it was chicken curry, but when Haru started adding pineapple chunks he was suddenly afraid to ask.

“Why are you putting _that_ in there?” Rin moved in behind Haru, resting his chin on the guy’s shoulder and slipping his arms around his boyfriend.

“It makes it a little sweeter and balances the taste of the fish.” Rin thinks the guy sounds like some unenthusiastic chef on one of those cooking shows.

“Won’t it be all mushy?”

“No one’s forcing you to eat it.”

Rin sighs and pokes at the fish with the chopsticks they use to cook. “Mackerel again?”

“If you don’t want this, make something else when I’m done.”

“Fine! Pour your own coffee, then!” Rin is already on edge from his chat with Gou, but this asshole with his obstinate indifference just pisses him off.

_Can’t Haru take a fucking hint and help him convince Gou that she’s with the wrong guy?_

He considers going to the convenience store around the corner to pick up some pre-packaged curry—just to spite the guy—but decides _Ah, fuck it!_ and flops down on the couch in the living room, turning the TV on and to some random channel. He doesn’t really pay attention to the program—some game show—and tries to tune out his thoughts with the aimless TV chatter.

 _Mikoshiba_ …Rin doesn’t have anything against the guy, but with Gou dating him it puts Rin at a disadvantage. If it were any guy that was younger, someone her _age_ , he could properly intimidate them into believing _If you fuck with my sister I will kill you and make sure no one finds your body._ He can’t do that with Mikoshiba, not _just_ because the guy is older than him ( _fucking elder respect rules_ ), but because he’ll just laugh off anyone with enough balls to try to intimidate him. He’s a _big_ guy and if Rin didn’t know he was a swimmer, he might mistake him for a boxer or some other equally daunting athlete.

“I just wanted to tell you, thank you, Haruka-senpai.”

“You can just call me Haru.” Rin can hear Gou’s delighted laugh from the other room.

“But, really. Thank you for taking care of my brother.”

“He takes care of himself. I don’t do much.”

“No, you do…” Rin mutes the volume on the TV, straining to eavesdrop. “He was…really suffering in high school. I don’t think he even realized how sad he looked.”

Haru doesn’t respond right away. “He figured it out.”

“But if you hadn’t…” Rin hears some shuffling and then ceramic clinking against wood. “I think you’re…you’re good for each other.”

Rin buries his burning face into the couch pillow. He hopes that blasé jackass is blushing just as much as he is.

“I’m sorry he’s bothering you about your boyfriend,” Haru apologizes for him.

“Oh, no! I’m not worried about that. Onii-chan is just being a protective older brother.”

“More like a father.” Rin’s heart stutters, and he’s certain the tension in the kitchen has grown thick. “Ah, sorry…”

“No, no! You’re exactly right. He _is_ kind of like my father, and that’s why I worry about him.”

Haru doesn’t say anything, probably embarrassed for accidentally bringing up such a touchy subject, and Rin wills Gou with his mind to continue her train of thought. “It’s just, after our father…died…something changed in him. We were both so little that my memories are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember how he became the man of the house, without anyone even asking him.”

Rin can’t remember much from that time, and he hardly expected Gou, who’d been younger than him, to remember more. “He took on all that pressure at such a young age, and then one day he heard that our father had wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, and he took that on, too.”

He’d never really thought of it that way, as _taking on_ the responsibility of his father’s dream. He _wanted_ to do it, because his father had wanted it, and it made him feel closer to his father, if even for moments at a time.

“When he swam with you guys at the race in 6th grade, he looked _so_ happy. I don’t think I’d ever seen him glow like that...

“But then, the next day, he went off on his own to be a better swimmer, and something changed. When we saw him off at the airport, he didn’t look happy anymore, and when he came home over New Years in middle school it was even worse.”

Rin doesn’t want to think back to that time. He wishes Gou would hurry up the conversation and make her point already.

“And in high school, I thought if he raced against you, that maybe he could be happy again. I thought he wanted to share the water with you.”

“It’s not the same,” Haru interrupts.

“What’s not the same?”

“When you’re racing against someone, you’re not sharing the water, you’re fighting over it.” Something clangs against the metal in the sink and a faucet is turned on. “When you’re on a team, that’s when  you share the water.”

“So then…”

“Don’t worry.” The kettle starts to whistle and someone—Gou he assumes—takes it off the burner as the sound disappears. “He figured it out.”

“But still…” Rin can hear the mugs being filled. “He might not have found his way back without you.”

Rin can’t listen to any more. He’s not in the mood to reminisce about such painful memories. He un-mutes the TV and turns the volume up high, laying back on the sofa and stares up at nothing on the ceiling.

He thinks back to high school, and how it felt to watch his former teammates celebrate over a victory _together_. Rin knows he put himself in that situation, but the memory of his chest tightening to the point where he could barely breathe as he watched them swim _without him_ has tears pricking at his eyes. He rolls onto his side, trying to calm down the shaking in his muscles.

So when he feels soft lips press at his neck he sighs and covers his face. It doesn’t stop Haru from climbing onto the sofa and pressing in behind him.

“Did you hear us talking?”

Rin tries to chuckle, but it comes out all choked. “Gou’s never been very quiet.”

Haru threads his fingers through Rin’s. “Are you okay?”

Rin sighs. “I’m fine.” He lets Haru turn him so that he can lick Rin’s tears and then press them into his mouth with a kiss.  He never _imagined_ this stoic guy would be so affectionate, but maybe years of self-imposed detached isolation has them clinging to each other now. Rin supposes that they’re really not so different in their loneliness.

“Haruka-san, should I put out…eeeep!” Gou’s screech has Rin shoving Haru off the couch where the guy lands with a thud on the floor. His head whips to his sister who is trying to suppress a laugh.

“Damnit, Gou, it’s not funny!”

“S-sorry!” She giggles and then takes a deep breath to calm herself. “Dinner’s ready and I just wanted to ask Haruka-san where I should put the salad.

“I said you can call me Haru, and just put it anywhere.” Rin offers his boyfriend a hand to help him stand. They share another brief kiss when Gou has left the room and then follow her into the kitchen to the table.

“Thanks for the food,” they all chime and then dig into their meal. Rin is surprised when the first bite has his mouth burning.

“It’s spicy?” Rin looks to his boyfriend who’s pushing a chunk of fish around on top of his rice with deliberate interest. “I thought you hated spicy curry.”

“Yeah…” Rin’s not entirely sure he’s heard the guy correctly when he mumbles, “but you like it…”

Gou is grinning like a maniac at both blushing guys, and Rin suddenly doesn’t have the heart to complain that the pineapple looks too soggy.

~*~

“Dad, make sure you watch us this week.” Rin slides his fingers over the engraving in the smooth granite. “We’re gonna make it on the Olympic team, and then the next time I return I’ll have a medal for you.” Haru squeezes his hand and then rustles for something in his bag.

Rin’s eyes widen when he sees the photograph. “Is that…”

“It’s a copy.” Haru kneels down and sets the photo on a ledge of the stone and weighs it down with a rock. He straightens back up and claps his hands in prayer and bows to the grave, no doubt speaking to his father silently.

For the second time in the last 24 hours Rin’s chest clenches and he can feel his eyes start to tear, not from grief, but because he’s not sure his heart can handle loving Haru any more than he already does.

When they’re done, they head home, planning to stay at Haru’s place before setting off for Tokyo in the morning. Rin holds his lover’s hand, walking as slow as he can before they hit the road and have to separate.

“What did you tell him?” Haru looks to the ocean when Rin asks this.

“I told him that we’ll definitely make it.” Rin’s lips curls into a smile, squeezing Haru’s hand in agreement.

Behind them the group photo from their victory in sixth grade lays still on his family’s grave in proof to that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back to work, so there will be more lag between updates. I’m hoping to have this finished, though, before the last episode of Free! Next up is the Olympic trials, and the Olympics is quite soon after that so we’re getting close to the end!  
> I’m praying Gou doesn’t find out details about Haru & Rin’s race in 6th grade during this week’s episode. If she does, I may end up changing a few things on this chapter.  
> And as this season of Free! comes to a close, I might go back and fill in some gaps I’ve intentionally left blank (because it’s material we haven’t seen yet). We’ll see how it ends! ^_^


	11. Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Olympic trials.

“Next up, Matsuoka Rin!”

Rin takes a deep breath and steps into the light. Even though he’d done introductions like this before it doesn’t leave him feeling any less nervous.  He’d already passed the semi-finals and now his adrenaline is thrumming, but his legs feel like jelly.  The crowd roars and a confidence grows in him with their energy. He flashes his teeth in a grin, waving at the viewers, then turns to walk along the pool while a robotic camera follows two steps in front of him, capturing every emotion on his face. Finally when he turns the corner he lets the camera confident smile drop. As he approaches his lane another camera waits for him and this one catches the face he makes when he drops into _the zone_.

He’d become known in the swimming world for switching quickly between his confident smile and determined zone face. Matsuoka Rin, sponsored by Aqueous, breaks hearts with a single glance. Some people were saying it was a gamble for the company to sponsor him and Haru, seeing as they were so new to the professional world, but they’d proven to the masses again and again that they could destroy any competition thrown their way. Haru had crushed his own personal record when he won a spot on the Olympic team for freestyle in two categories, and now it’s Rin’s turn. Rin is pumped, he’s high…

He’s fuckin’ ready to rumble.

Rin empties his mind, lets the thunder of the crowd’s cries slip inside him, through him, until it fills every pore and pushes his nerves out of his body like sweat.  The feeling that remains is a numb tingle that burns across his skin like fire.

He drops his sweats and jacket in the side box, slaps some water on his face and body, and swings his arms, loosening himself up, getting his muscles ready for the stretch ahead. This race is for the 100m butterfly, a quick sprint. He’s good at sprinting; this will be a piece of cake. Dive, fly, turn, kick, fly, wall. And in between these steps, he’ll be chasing Haru.

It had been his boyfriend’s idea, and they’d practiced many times. Even though a front crawl was always faster than the fly, they’d race during practice, Haru crawling and Rin flying in a freestyle race. Rin knew he shouldn’t be surprised to find he’d become so much faster when he was chasing Haru through the water. Even so, it still amazed him to find that by just imagining that they were racing each other, he could suddenly feel the rips and waves in the water that could only belong to Haru.

And so, in the final moments before he climbs the block, he imagines Haru is warming up next to him, punching at his chest to keep his muscles limber.  In his mind Rin and Haru’s eyes lock as the air around them glows with a deep charge. This is his zone, racing Haru, just the two of them.

Some part of his consciousness that’s on autopilot notes the long whistle that signals he climb the starting block.  He can see it in his head: Haru stepping up to the block next to his, pressing his goggles to his face to squeeze the air out. Rin does the same, and when a voice booms _Ready!_ Rin takes his mark and dives at the sound of the beep.

But he never feels his body hit the water. It’s like his spirit has detached and the race really _is_ in his head.

He can sense Haru’s ripples, but the water feels like air as he cuts through, muscles gripping and pulling him along, a powerful stroke like Makoto. And as he chases after Haru, he can feel Nagisa crawling inside him, screeching, _Catch him, Rin-chan!_ His friends, they’ve planted in him their fighting spirits, and when he flips, that’s when he sees the light, the sight he’s certain his father had shown him during their race in 6 th grade.

Suddenly he’s propelled forward, though it feels like he’s slipping through a hole in time. It’s a moment before that medley event, before they became classmates, when Rin transferred to the Iwatobi swim club. He’s dived into the water, catching up to Haru, wanting to impress this boy that’s as fast and graceful as a dolphin. Haru is getting closer to the wall, but Rin is catching up, he’s so close but even as he touches the wall after the other boy, an ambitious surge swells in his chest, a burning _need_ to know more about this boy.

He almost forgets where he is as the present slams into him like a tsunami.

His eyes scramble for the time board, and right there, next to his sponsor, next to his name, is the number ONE. His picture blazes on an adjacent wall, in a screen that spits colors and the words _Congratulations; new Japanese record_. Rin feels a congratulatory slap on his shoulder but he’s too stunned to do much more than gape like a fish.

He’s going to the Olympics.

Rin beams so hard that his cheeks are already aching. He pulls himself up out of the pool, and somehow, out of the hundreds of people in the stands, he can see his friends.

They’re all standing, except Gou, who’s bawling into her hands. He has the sudden urge to hold his little sister and cry with her, to hug her tight and thank her for everything she’s done to get him to this point. At a time when she could’ve run off to have fun with her own friends, her selfless meddling in the Iwatobi and Samezuka swim team affairs pulled him back into orbit.

To her right Mikoshiba has Nitori in an enthusiastic headlock, cheering and pumping his free fist in the air. On the other side, Makoto stands there, face brighter than all the lights in the center. He’s never needed to use more than his face to applaud (although he’s clapping like crazy), and combined with Nagisa next to him, jumping all over that guy with the glasses, Rin feels like he’ll be burned by their energy.

But the one sight that will remain forever etched in his soul is Haru smiling so wide that Rin can actually see his teeth.

Too soon he’s lead over to a small area set up for a press conference along with the guy that apparently received second place. The cameras are trained on them and Rin offers his opponent a congratulatory hand shake and pat on the back. He can vaguely hear the announcement, _Ladies and Gentlemen, we present the two swimmers…_ but he’s looking for Haru in the audience again. Just as their eyes connect, the questions begin.

_How does it feel to not only place top in his first Olympic trial, but to also break a national record?_

_How did you prepare for such an event as a newcomer in the professional world?_

_What can we expect from you in the future?_

Rin answers as they would expect him to: _it’s an honor to not only place first, but to also break a record; I’ve been training for years and have traveled across the world to improve; Of course it’s unbelievable that I’ll be swimming in the Olympics and I hope to bring a gold medal to Japan._

But the next question almost throws him: _Even though you are in different events, do you plan to continue training alongside Nanase Haruka?_

Of course he does, but how can he say it? He wants to say that nothing makes him happier than when he’s swimming with Haru, that only his boyfriend can ignite that spark in him that drives him so close to heaven that he can almost see his father again. And he wants to tell them that he doesn’t want to share the water with anyone but Haru.

Instead he says, “If the Olympic coaches will allow it, then yes. Nanase-san and I have been close friends for many years.  Even though he qualified in the freestyle category I can’t imagine not training alongside him.  

“We used to fight over our claim in the pool, but over time we’ve learned to share it. He’s helped me keep my dream alive, and I can’t imagine a better motivator than continuing to reach for the top spot with him.”

The announcer thanks him and moves to direct questions at the second guy, and Rin still hasn’t taken his eyes off Haru. He nods once, silently insisting _We’re not going home with anything_ but _the gold._ and when Haru nods back, Rin feels a great power build in him. Even if he still has three other events to race in, simply qualifying in this first one has unloaded a huge weight in him.

Rin looks to the ceiling, and closes his eyes: _Dad, keep watching us, because we’re gonna show you something amazing that you've never seen before!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched videos of the 2012 Japanese Olympic Swimming Trials, so since I've never been to an event like this, this is the impression I got of the arena, the atmosphere, etc.  
> Don’t worry, I’ll get to a race from Haru’s POV, although it won’t be until the Olympics. Stay tuned! :D


	12. Trespass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Haru take a midnight dip in the pool.

“If we get kicked off the team for this I’ll never forgive you.”

Haru ignores Rin and drops his bag, and then his pants. “It’s fine; I set the doors to lock behind us.”

“How is that better?” Rin receives no answer, but does get Haru’s shirt thrown in his face just before his dolphin boyfriend leaps into the pool.

Earlier that evening, just after practice as Rin was toweling his hair, Haru leaned into him discretely, put his hand on Rin’s hip and whispered that he wanted to take Rin somewhere that evening. At the time the suggestion had sent a warm rush down his spine, but now he's kicking himself for even considering that Haru might _actually_ bring him anywhere that was romantic. The guy had such a one-track water mind that he should’ve known that this “surprise” would somehow involve a pool, let alone the same one they swim in _every day_.

Rin curses as he’s splashed with water. “Hey, get in here.”

“Fine, whatever.” Rin pulls off his own clothes and dives in. He swims to the far side, flips, kicks off and heads back for his point of entry. Before he can reach that wall, though, he’s caught up in arms and sputters as he surfaces.

“Don’t, this isn’t practice.”

“The fuck…why are we here, then?” Haru had been quiet all day and Rin had been fuming after Mikoshiba (who’d also made the Olympic team) had let a few… _details_ …about him and his _girlfriend_ slip when he didn’t realize Rin was listening. It hadn’t been pretty, and they were lucky their teammates had been able to pull Rin off the guy and that Mikoshiba had walked away with only a few bite marks.

Haru puts a hand on his shoulder and then lays back into the water, drifting. “You don’t have to swim, just enjoy the water.” Rin rolls his eyes as his boyfriend floats along, eyes closed, looking as peaceful as he does in slumber.  Despite thinking he’ll never understand Haru’s weird obsession with just _being_ _in_ water, Rin follows and leans so he’s floating on his back.

As his eyes close he shuts out everything around him. His ears are submerged and he can hear the bubbles floating to the surface from around him, can feel the ripples spreading out as Haru dips beneath the water and he can _feel_ that the water is _alive_.

No, it’s not the water that’s alive. It’s Haru that has brought a current, charging the pool to the deepest crevice. Ever since they were kids, Rin can always tell Haru’s step, his stroke, his energy, apart from everyone else. He doesn’t know how to explain it, but he can always feel _where_ Haru is around him. This energy, whatever it is that Haru gives off, he’s felt it from the first time they swam in the same race. It sooths him, recharges him.

He wonders if this is the peaceful feeling the water brings to Haru.

But if all Haru needs is the water, then what does Rin’s presence even matter? Does he even benefit this guy by swimming with him other than in competition?

A hand grabs his own and it startles him for only a moment. “Don’t think.”

“Huh?” What is this guy talking about?

“I can always tell when you’re thinking too much.” Rin feels the edge of the pool brush his arm and he rights himself so he stands in the water. Haru follows suit. “Your eyes scrunch up and you look like you’re in pain.”

“It’s nothing…” Really, he wasn’t thinking about much, and it’d be awkward to even broach the subject of being jealous of… _water_. What the hell would he say: _Haru, what’s more important to you, me or water?_

Fuck no, too embarrassing.

Rin feels a kiss press to his nape and hands run up his chest. His eyes flutter close and he sighs, relaxing as his lover brushes his lips along his neck.

“You really like my neck, don’t you?” He can feel the guy hum against his skin and Rin thinks that Haru needs to stop soon before this attention rouses other parts of his body.  His arms are clearly not connecting to his brain, though, as they wrap around Haru’s waist to pull him closer.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Haru…”  Rin groans and buries his nose against his lover’s shoulder.  He can’t take it, how Haru can say so little yet it affects him so inherently. Haru’s thumb brushes his nipple and he growls, his own fingers moving lower until they’re digging into his boyfriend’s ass. As he pulls Haru closer, he can feel the guy’s dick pulsing against his own.

And then their lips are brushing together, Rin’s tongue sliding to press against Haru’s. He rolls his hips against his lover’s and groans when Haru whimpers into his mouth. Too soon, _too soon_ Haru pushes back from Rin, gasping.

“Not…in the pool…” Haru manages, and Rin can’t help rolling his eyes again.

Fuck that.

Rin can’t believe how aroused he is, grinding against his lover in the water. He relents, though, and instead lifts Haru to the side of the pool, peeling away his suit. Right away Rin throws his boyfriend’s legs over his shoulders and dips in, laving long strips with his tongue against Haru’s inner thighs. Rin inhales deeply and feels his own cock jump when he breathes in Haru’s scent mixed with the chlorine from the pool.

He’s barely made a cursory taste of the guy’s dick when Haru pushes him away… _again_.

“Fuck, Haru, I’m trying to suck you off!” His lover shakes his head and slides back away from the pool.

“Come here,” Haru rasps and Rin doesn’t have to be asked twice. He’s out of the pool and stripping his suit in double time so he can press the guy into the floor, their cocks grinding together. Haru reaches down and pulls Rin’s hips flush against his own and Rin can’t hold back the gasp that bubbles from inside him.

And Rin can’t help but lean in and bite his lover’s shoulder, twisting a moan from his partner. Their hips are moving together fast, faster, to the point that Rin’s sure they’ll set fire to the building. He’s running on instinct now, and their kisses are clumsy and he can’t manage to slide his lips with Haru’s on the same beat but it doesn’t matter because it’s still the most sensual kiss he’s ever experienced with Haru missing and licking his cheek, and Rin sucking Haru’s lip into his mouth.

And then Haru is clenching his teeth and throwing his head back and Rin can feel his hot cum beat against his chest as the guy comes. He follows quickly, growling into his lover’s neck, slowing his thrusts until they’re trembling in a post-coitus haze and kissing gently.

“Tomorrow’s…our day off…” Rin says between kisses. “I really…wanna fuck you…”

Haru groans and slides his fingers through Rin’s hair. “In the shower…” Another kiss. “…but first…” Haru sits up and lets Rin roll off him, heading straight for the bag he’d brought with. Rin rubs his sore ass (the bastard didn’t have to let him fall like that!) and raises a brow as Haru walks back toward him, a spray bottle of something and two towels in hand.

He throws one to Rin. “We have to clean up first.”

Rin looks around, wondering what on the spotless floor they might have to clean other than the odd drop of semen. “Clean what? The showers are right over…”

Haru sprays the liquid on the ground and rubs at the spot with the towel. “We’ll clean ourselves once we’ve cleaned the pool.” And Rin wants to tell the guy that he's not technically cleaning the _pool_ but rather the floor around the pool, but Haru seems so into his task that he doesn’t have the heart.

Anything for Pool-sama, right?

Rin gives in, complaining loudly, and even though he’s still sticky and sweaty, he helps his crazy boyfriend clean the floor.

~*~

“Hey Rin!” He looks up from the bench and waves at one of the Americans he’s befriended since arriving back in the US. They’re at a different training center from before (tons of swimmers from around the world, many of them athletes they’ll be seeing in Rio) and this one is at a University so there are plenty of college kids as well. This guy in particular, Dave, is on the University swim team, same age as Rin and Haru, and has been asking Rin for tips since the first day they met.

At first the guy reminded him of Nitori, an annoying fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing no matter how often you swatted at it, but unlike Nitori, this guy would take his advice and put it to solid use.  Aside from Haru and the mandatory team building he had with his teammates, this was the only other person he really talked to, and even so, they didn’t usually talk about much outside of swimming.

“What’s up, man? Taking a break?”

Rin’s eyes find Haru across the room, hauling his way down a lane with a pull buoy between his ankles. “Yeah, I’ve got fifteen minutes and it’s back to drills. You done with classes for the day?”

Dave nods. “Yeah, my psych final is coming up and it’s gonna be a _killer_. My girlfriend…well, my _ex_ -girlfriend now, has an easier schedule and doesn’t do any sports.  She was all pissed off that we couldn’t meet up as often, so she broke up with me.”

“Oh, that’s too bad…”

“Nah, man, no worries. We were drifting apart anyway. Say, you got a girlfriend?”

Rin’s eyes find Haru again, except it seems like he’s finished with the pull buoy and is now watching Rin and Dave talk, head half-submerged in the water. Rin smiles weakly and waves at his boyfriend, and Haru just readjusts his goggles, throws the pull buoy to the side and ducks under water, front crawling to the other side of the pool.

What is _that_ all about?

“Rin?”

Oh right, he’d asked a question. “Uhh, yeah, kind of.”

“Ahh, must be hard to be half a world away from her, huh?”

Rin chuckles awkwardly. “Yeah, something like that.”

Dave nods. “So how close are you guys? Intimate? Have you said the big ‘L’ yet?”

“Huh?” Rin doesn’t know what the guy is referring to.

“The big ‘L’, you know, have you told her you love her yet?”

Rin has to actually think about it. Has he ever told Haru he loves him? Now that this guy has brought it up, he’s almost certain they’ve never expressed how they feel with words. They'd talked for hours about how they would train together, challenge each other so they could make the Olympic team, but talking about their relationship? Hell, even their first coming together was because Haru cornered him and kissed him a few weeks into their third year of high school. Had they ever actually _talked_ about where this was going?

Does _Haru_ know where this relationship was going?

Rin had been so focused on swimming, on reaching their goal that he hadn't spent any time thinking about these things.  With the excitement of racing, of aiming for the Olympic team, Rin had just assumed that he’d always be with Haru.  Suddenly his stomach is sick with anxiety.

“Hey man, you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Actually, my break is up. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Dave nods and Rin is lucky to get to the bathroom quickly enough before he’s lost his lunch in the toilet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum dum dummmmm. I decided these chapters are too fluffy, and I need to raise the stakes.  
> Like they say: throw your darlings to the wolves, right?


	13. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has an internal crisis, and as usual, while he's spiraling, he manages to suck others into the black hole that's consuming him.

Rin never really questioned Haru’s devotion until one of the Americans he’d befriended brought it up.

_Have you told her you love her?_

After retching up his lunch he’d sat in the locker room and thought about it for a bit. At first he reasoned it was just a cultural thing. After all, Americans were so much more verbally expressive than _any_ Japanese person he knew. And Haru, well, that guy was less verbally affectionate than _anyone_. Sure, the guy showed affection in other ways (he could always set Rin’s heart racing just by nosing his neck) but what did that really mean other than they enjoyed the company of the others’ body?

Somehow this was all translating in Rin’s mind as: _How do you know he loves you if he’s never told you?_

But he’d never told Haru, either. It hasn’t seem to bother the guy, though, so how should he interpret _that_? Haru would never _use_ Rin, but outwardly, what _were_ they other than two guys that motivated each other in swimming and fucked on a regular basis?  After all, hadn’t Haru been by Makoto’s side for all those years and it never developed into anything?

He’d been gone for four years in between, so what if Haru and Makoto _had_ kept each other company the same way Rin and Haru were now? They’d never talked about it, but to Rin it had always been the elephant in the room.

He’d been too afraid to ask, afraid to hear that it was true.

Rin knew that he’d taken Haru’s virginity, but he also knew Makoto was a patient guy.  Makoto had always taken care of Haru, comforted him, so who’s to say he didn’t comfort him in _other ways_?  Haru got what he needed from Makoto, so how can Rin be so sure that once they race, that if they win, Haru won’t move on?

Rin needs Haru desperately, but really, what can Haru _possibly_ need from Rin that he can't get from someone else?

Rin has no doubt in his mind that he loves Haru, but he’s never told the guy, nor questioned it, because he just assumed Haru felt the same. The way they moved together felt natural, like the way water fills around his body when he dives in.  He felt like every cell of his being was built to compliment Haru, but did his boyfriend feel the same way?

When he talks to Makoto the following week, Rin is desperate.

“How do I know he needs me?” Makoto is quiet at first, no doubt trying to figure out where Rin’s question came from. “I mean, needing me beyond swimming and our…physical relationship. I know he’s quiet, but how do I _really_ know?”

“I don’t think Haru would be there with you if he didn’t.” Makoto looks down thoughtfully. Rin wishes he can talk to the guy face to face instead of over the internet. He feels guilty for putting Makoto in this position (he’s almost certain Makoto has had feelings for Haru as well) but he knows that not another soul in the world knows Haru better. Makoto had his chance with Haru, but now it’s Rin’s turn.

And he’s desperate to be told his fears are for nothing.

“But what if it’s just a convenient thing for him, you know? I’m sure you felt like that all the time when you were with him, right? Didn’t you two…” Rin can’t say the words because he doesn’t want them to be real. They bundle in his throat and threaten to choke off his lungs.

Makoto smiles, that kind smile that can break light through even a demon’s heart, although he looks a little sad. “He kissed me once, right after New Year’s break, our first year in middle school.”

So few words and Rin can already feel his heart breaking.

Makoto had taken Haru’s first kiss.

Rin wants to puke.

“At the time I didn’t know what to think. Actually, I was jealous because after you left for Australia, Haru started training even harder.” Makoto looks down again. “I could tell that he wanted to be on the same level as you when you came back to Japan. You were going to a world-class swimming school, and he wanted to stay in step with you.”

 “But…”

“How do I know?” Makoto’s laugh is gentle. “Some of the other swimmers wanted to form a relay team with Haru in middle school but he refused, just like he did with you, except this time he didn’t give in. I think he was always waiting for you to come back after you left, but then over New Year’s he changed.

“Now I know why, but I was really confused because he kissed me, and then stared at me, like he was _looking_ for something. Then he told me he was quitting the team.”

“Because I told him I quit.” Makoto nods and Rin feels the weight slowly lifting from his chest.

But it’s not entirely gone.

“I love him.” Rin’s surprised how easily he can say it. Thinking it is one thing, but hearing the words roll off his tongue has his chest aching. “I need him so much that I don’t even feel whole when he’s not near me.

“But you…”

Makoto shakes his head, his lips curving up softly. "He was never mine to love; I think he was always waiting for you, Rin."

Rin is overcome by Makoto’s kindness.

This guy that probably wants Haru as much as Rin does, is willing to give him up if it means Haru is happy. Rin feels inadequate, because he’s selfish, and he’d slaughter any person that took Haru away from him.

But in the future, if _Haru_ is the one to choose differently, what would he do?

Rin stares at Makoto through the monitor and the look in the guy’s eyes scares him. They’re gentle, but behind them is something painful, a sharp grief that Rin wishes he could un-see, because his biggest fear is that he’ll feel the way Makoto is suffering right now.

Rin chokes. “I’m sorry, I’m—” A pressure builds in Rin’s eyes. “Makoto, I’m _so_ —”

“Please don’t do that.” Makoto’s sigh is heavy, ancient. “I want Haru to be happy, and if you start apologizing...”

“Makoto…”

“Please.” Makoto pastes on his mask. “It’ll bring up feelings I’ve buried deep, and I like you, Rin. I want to keep liking you, so please don’t make this harder by apologizing for something I’ll never have.”

“But…”

“ _Please_.” The words are more forceful than Rin’s ever heard from Makoto. “It’s my one selfish request. The other is to ask you to make Haru the happiest person in the world. Can you do that?”

Rin feels something snap, and he’s certain that the friendship he’s re-built with Makoto will never be the same.

“I promise.”

~*~

After his talk with Makoto Rin starts to plan when he might pull Haru aside so they can talk about… _things_. It’s harder than he anticipates, though, and Haru seems to be avoiding him, and Rin’s not sure why.

His times are getting worse, and he’s having trouble concentrating. He’s almost afraid that they’ll kick him off the team, and one morning during breakfast, Dave finds him and prods at Rin until he’s spilling all his “girlfriend” problems.

“Ooh, that is tough, especially since your friend likes that girl, too.”

Rin picks at his egg yolk until it spills onto his toast. “The worst part is my friend’s a really good guy, and he could really make him happy, too. He doesn’t deserve this kind of pain, and I feel…guilty taking him away from my friend…”

“Don’t you mean ‘her’?”

Rin flushes and tries to cover it up with an awkward laugh. “Ahh, yeah, that’s what I meant. Sorry, my English is bad when I get like this.”

Dave seems to accept the answer and Rin sighs, relieved. The only thing that could make this worse would be if his and Haru’s _real_ relationship were leaked.

But then again, what _is_ their real relationship?

Rin sighs and is so lost in thought he doesn’t feel Haru approach him.

“I need to talk to you.”

Rin jumps and can feel the severity in Haru’s voice.  When he looks up, the guy’s eyes are hard as ice.

Even though Haru spoke in Japanese, Dave doesn’t seem to be able to read the atmosphere. “Hey, does Haruka know your friend? You said you guys are from the same city, right? Maybe he can help patch things up with your friend and girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend?” Haru glares at Rin.

“It’s nothing.  I need to talk to you, too, but why have you been avoiding me, asshole?” Rin can’t see any of the other people on their team around them so he speaks freely in Japanese.

Haru ignores his question and just repeats, “I need to talk to you.” The way Haru glares at him has Rin’s blood freezing over. He offers a quick parting to Dave and follows Haru to an empty room they discovered a few weeks back. Rin is hesitant to enter; he's certain whatever conversation it is they’ll be having won’t be pleasant, and he doesn’t want to taint the good memories he has of this room.

Haru whirls on him once they’re inside. “ _Girlfriend_?”

Rin tries to play it off. “He kept asking if I had a girlfriend and I told him ‘sort of’ so he’d leave me alone.”

“But I heard the word ‘problem’…” Haru glares. “Just because English wasn’t my best subject in school doesn’t mean I’m stupid!”

“Wh…the fuck!? I _never_ said you were stupid!”

“Then what were you talking about?” Haru is shaking and Rin can feel his boyfriend’s anger—can he still call Haru his boyfriend? Was he _ever_ his boyfriend?— saturating the air and Rin is, for the first time, frightened in Haru’s presence. He’s not scared of Haru, but the direction this conversation is going has him terrified.

“N-no, we were just talking about my conversation with Makoto.”

“ _What_ conversation with Makoto?”

_Oh shit_ , apparently Haru _hadn’t_ spoken with the guy yet. “I just had to talk to Makoto about some things.”

“ ** _RIN_**.” He doesn’t even have to look at the guy, can just tell by his tone that he can’t hide behind his insecurities and deflections anymore.

“I told him…” Why was it so easy to say in front of Makoto yet so difficult to say now? “Haru, I…”

Rin feels his chin wrenched up and held in place so he can’t glance away from Haru’s gaze. “Look at me.”

He has nowhere to hide.

Rin is so scared he wants to die.

If he loses Haru he’ll lose everything.

“I…” Fuck, why is this so hard? “Haru, I _love_ you.”

The next few seconds seem to drag on for years as Haru’s hand flops down, his eyes wide and searching the room for something to grab onto.

And Rin feels like Haru has ripped out his heart when he leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard to write.  
> Poor, sweet Makoto T_T I'm sorry I broke your heart but I hope you can find someone to love you <3  
> Poor, damaged Rin T_T He's trying to get his shit together but keeps tripping.  
> Poor, inarticulate Haruka T_T Unless you speak _your_ mind you're gonna keep hurting.


	14. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru realizes that Rin isn't the only one questioning whether or not Haru loves him.

_I love you._

That was the last thing Haru had expected Rin to say when he’d cornered the guy. It shocked him so much that he wasn’t sure he’d _heard_ Rin correctly, and finally when he’s got his senses back—a good ten minute run away from the dining hall—Haru realizes he’s fled from the room.

Leaving Rin alone.

“Oh no…” Haru rushes back to where he’s left Rin, heart dropping when he finds the room empty. “No no…” He feels in his pockets for his cell phone and realizes he’s left it in his room.

“Shit!” Haru leans his head against the wall, hands above his head and fingers digging into the paneling.  He hadn’t meant to bolt off like that. His instinct just suddenly took him away like some startled fish darting into deeper water.

By now Haru had thought that he’d stopped running away. He’d done the relay when they were kids, he agreed to race Rin in High School, and now he’s training for the Olympics with Rin. Each of these life events have one common denominator: they all include Rin demanding something from him, and he’s always given in, no matter how much of a pain it was.

But this wasn’t a demand like, _You’re gonna swim for me_ or any other equally selfish plea the guy makes on a daily basis.

This was Rin laying his feelings bare and _asking_ Haru to love him back.

And what had he done? He ran away.

Haru knows he can’t just leave Rin like this; the idiot will get wrong ideas in his head.  But _where_ had _that_ come from!  And Haru wants to know why his legs still itch to run, to jump into the pool, slip beneath the water and never resurface.

Why does he still want to run?

When he was younger, Haru just wanted to float in water, to let in encase him. He didn’t want to be bothered by people. But Rin kept pulling him back in.

 _How does he do that?_ Haru wonders. _Why does Rin always do this to me; make me feel things I’d rather avoid?_

_Why do I feel so uncomfortable yet…happy?_

When he was in High School, Haru just acknowledged that he enjoyed racing against Rin, that it brought an excitement to his life that he would _actually_ look forward to. He stopped questioning _why_ he enjoyed racing against Rin, _with_ Rin, and just accepted that it’s just the way things were.

But now he needs to know why.

Haru has always found himself getting swept into the storm that Rin carried with him. Whenever Rin is involved in something, Haru will always find himself inexplicably thrown in, but only when Rin wants him there. Rin decided on his own that he was going to go to Australia, that he was going to attend Samezuka, so who’s to say that he won’t just go off on his own again?

Haru refuses to be disposable.

At this point he doesn’t think the guy would consciously just dump him off, but after the Olympics, what possible future can they really have? They can’t get married, or have kids, but he doesn’t really want either of those things, anyway. Haru doesn’t like to think too far ahead into the future, but he has to now, because with Rin saying this, it means he may _want_ to create a life with Haru.

It means Rin could want Haru to stay with him for the rest of their lives.  It means Haru might be stuck in this vortex with Rin forever.

But isn’t he already?

Does he want to stay like this, trapped in the stormy undercurrent that guides their every move?

He doesn’t know.

He needs to go to the pool.

What Haru _really_ needs right now if for practice to start, and for Rin to not show up, because even though he doesn’t want to leave this misunderstanding hanging between them, Haru needs to _think_ , and he can’t do that when Rin is in the same room as him because he can _feel_ the energy that radiates from the guy.

But he’s not gonna hold his breath.

And when Haru enters the locker room, he can see Rin’s silky hair flow behind him as he exits the door at the far end of the locker room. Haru has the sudden urge to follow him, to run his fingers through that hair, but he’s not ready, can’t confront the guy just yet.

Once again Haru is running away.

 _What am I so scared of?_ He thinks. _Why can’t I just go tell him it was a misunderstanding and go back to the way things were before?_

Because now Rin wants something from Haru that he’s not sure he can give just yet.

And it’s Haru’s decision that has the potential to change everything between them.

He doesn’t want anything to change.

Haru is relieved that they don’t have relay practice today. Both of them are on the ballot for the medley relay for the Japanese team, but whether or not they’ll be chosen for the semi-finals or finals, or at _all_ will be decided next month.  Haru doesn’t want to think about that today.

“Hey! You’re Haruka, right?” Haru wilts; he recognizes that voice. Instead of responding verbally he just nods. “Do—you—speak—English?”

Haru’s not sure why Rin puts up with this dumbass. “A little.”

“I—see.” Dave continues very slowly. “Do—you—know—where—he—is?”

Haru wants to tell the guy to fuck off and leave them alone, because they were better off before Rin tolerated this guy as an acquaintance.

He knows it’s terrible, but he almost wants to go back to that time when Rin wouldn’t really speak to anyone except him, even if most of the words out of his mouth were biting and sarcastic. After regionals their second year of high school, Rin began to change, and that included opening himself to the people around him: Mikoshiba, Nitori, Rei, Nagisa, Makoto…and he opened up the most to Haru.

He told Haru about Australia, how hard that was to find out he wasn’t extraordinary, and how he never really quit swimming after their race in middle school, but that he’d seriously considered it. Rin told him that wanting to come back to Japan to beat Haru was the sole driving force that kept him moving, that kept him training.

And how is he supposed to interpret that other than Rin saying Haru is the focal point in his life?

And Haru doesn’t want him to talk to this guy.

But what _does_ he want, then? He wants to monopolize Rin but not fall in love? If anyone is selfish, Haru is certain he’s a much stronger contender than Rin at the moment.

“Excuse—me…do—you…”

“Pool.” Haru cuts the guy off. “In the pool.”

“I—see. Thank—you!” And Haru glares after the guy’s back as he disappears through the same door Rin had walked through minutes before.

Burning with a rage he’s never felt, Haru slams his locker door and follows the final trickle of people into the pool.

~*~

Haru has never been so relieved that he and Rin will compete in different strokes at the Olympics. This has kept him and Rin separate for the past few days. He knows that he has to confront the guy sooner or later, but he’s still scared, and he’s feeling _guilty_ because as this anger has fueled Haru to swim more fiercely, it’s destroyed Rin’s times. Haru is seriously concerned that they might actually kick Rin off the team, and that would be a guilt Haru would never overcome.

He’d been secretly keeping track of the guy, eavesdropping in on other swimmers and checking the time sheets that were handed out to them each day, and that’s when he’s approached by a guy he never considered speaking to.

“Matsuoka’s looking rough out there.” Haru’s head snapped up as Mikoshiba Seijuuro sits next to him on the bench he’s occupying. “It’s even worse than regionals a few years back, and _that_ was bad.” Haru turns away and doesn’t say anything. He assumes the guy will just keep talking of his own free will. “You know why I took him off the relay team?” Haru doesn’t respond. “Because his head wasn’t all _there_. It was occupied by other things.”

And Haru knows exactly what these other things were.

Rin’s thoughts had been about him. They always circled right back to Haru.

“I never really asked what was bothering him, because it wasn’t my place, but Gou-kun told me a few things that had happened between you guys, so it’s not hard to put two and two together.”

“This doesn’t concern you.” Haru’s voice is sharp, to the point.

“Maybe not right now, but I’m not the captain this time, and if I don’t intervene, that guy might just spiral right off the face of the earth.” Mikoshiba crosses his arms and his gaze is so heavy Haru can’t help but turn toward the guy slightly. “I _know_ about you two.”

Haru is surprised to find he’s not shocked to hear this. He assumes that would be thanks to Gou, but he also knows that she means well.

“If you two don’t sort out your problems soon, I’m going to lock you in a room together until you do.”

Haru scoffs and stands, unsure why he’s trying to act so tough in front of this guy. “Like I said, this doesn’t concern you.”  He can’t control the words coming out of his mouth; they’re not coming from anywhere in his conscious brain. “Just focus on yourself. What’s mean to be is meant to be.”

Haru feels a cold chill crawl down his spine as he leaves Mikoshiba sitting, dumbfounded, on the bench.

~*~

Another day and not a single word from Rin. They train at the same pool, but the guy deliberately looks away whenever they cross paths. Haru wants to reach out and shake him, scream at Rin _why the hell did you say what you did!? Everything was fine until you decided to change my whole world_ again _!_

Because that’s what Rin always does: he steps into Haru’s calm life and spins everything upside down. Can he _really_ live the rest of his life with someone like that?

Haru tries to get information from Makoto but he doesn’t tell him anything and the guy seems…off. He knows that something must have happened between Makoto and Rin from the way he skirts around any mention of the guy. Usually Makoto would be the first to offer assistance, wagging his tail at any request Haru might have for him.  Right now, even through the internet, Makoto resembles a dog that’s just been whipped for misbehaving.

It’s unsettling.

He wants to console his friend, give him support like he’d been given so often, but he also knows that sometimes you have to just wait it out with Makoto, to stand by for an opportunity for the guy to open up without feeling like he’s imposing.

So that evening, just as he’s getting ready for bed, Haru is exhausted enough from the week to not check through the peephole at his door when hears a knock.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you asshole!” Haru nearly ends up on the floor as Rin is shoved through his door.

_Rin._

“You two were the top contenders for the medley relay after the trials!” Mikoshiba’s voice is muffled through the door that Rin is trying to pull back open. Somehow it’s been jammed from the outside. “I don’t know why you’re fighting but I’m not letting you out of there until you talk this out!”

“Fuck you, you fucking meddler!” Rin kicks at the door and tugs at his own hair, looking like he’s going to pull it out in chunks. Haru would find it amusing if Rin’s sudden presence wasn’t a visceral reminder that they weren’t on speaking terms at the moment.

Well this is going to be _fantastic_.

Haru sighs and goes to lay on his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes. “What do you want?”

“The _fuck_! I didn’t come here on my own, asshole!” Haru feels the air shift as something whizzes past him on the bed and crashes into the wall. The sound is soft enough that he assumes that Rin isn’t tossing anything breakable. “That _jackass_ thought he heard some gossip from Gou about us but I TOLD HIM WE’RE FUCKING FINE!” Rin shouts the last part loud enough so that Mikoshiba can be sure to hear it.

“Are we?” Haru doesn’t want to provoke Rin any more than he already is, but the words are out of his mouth before he can give them permission.

Rin _growls_ ; not the seductive purr he makes during sex, but a feral wounded noise, and Haru doesn’t have time to defend himself before he’s yanked from the bed by the lapels of his track suit and thrown across the room.

“You don’t have the fucking _right_ to say that to me, you asshole!” Rin picks up a shoe and throws it at Haru. He ducks just in time. “I’m fucking sick and tired of guessing with you; I can’t read your mind!”

Haru glares. “I never asked you to!” He clenches his fists and the words are spitting from his mouth. “And I never asked you to completely turn my life upside down, either!”

Rin’s eyes flicker for a moment, but he quickly pastes back on his glower. “The fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“You just come out of nowhere and demand everyone to revolve around _you_!” Haru has to restrain himself from taking a swing at Rin. “I swam your relay, I swam for you in High School, I’m here with you _now_ , and you still need _more_!?” Haru wants to continue but he’s cut off when Rin’s lips crash against his, warm and desperate.

He doesn’t want to give in to this guy but the moment they touch an electric current floods Haru’s body. As Rin pulls back too soon, _too soon_ , Haru groans, restraining himself from following the guy’s lips with his own.

“Sometimes you _really_ piss me off.” Rin licks his lips and clutches Haru by the shoulders, fingernails digging in hard. “Don’t you _feel_ anything? Or is your heart made of ice, too?”

“Of…of _course_ I feel something!” Haru’s hands end up on Rin’s chest but he’s too conflicted to know whether he’s pushing the guy away or pulling him closer.

Somehow Rin’s face softens. “Why did you come with me, Haru?” His fingers aren’t digging into Haru’s shoulders as hard now. “Did I really force you against your will?”

“No.” Haru says before he can think.

“Do you _want_ to be here?” One of Rin’s hands moves to cup Haru’s cheek.

Haru looks away.  He can’t say it, so he nods.

“I _need_ you, Haru.” He can’t look at Rin, because if he does he’ll concede and give the guy whatever he damn asks for.  “It’s pathetic, really.” And Rin scoffs, releasing his hold on Haru. “Because I need you so badly, but you get on just fine without me.”

This time Haru laughs, shakes his head. “You’re an idiot.”

“ _Am_ I?” Haru looks up and just as he feared, he’s ensnared in Rin’s gaze, a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. “Am I an idiot for wanting you all to myself?” Rin leans back in, forehead pressing against Haru’s. “Did you even _understand_ what I said to you the other day, because it took a lot of fucking courage to say it!”

Haru’s throat has closed up and he’s finding it hard to breathe. Even if he knew what to say he wouldn’t be able to get it past his swelling tongue.

“If you don’t want _this_ ,” Rin points between them. “Then tell me _now_ that you’ll never love me so I can move on!” A panicked chill rushes through Haru's veins. The argument is going in a direction he’s fearing. “If you don’t want me then I need to move on…”

The only thing Haru can manage is to clutch Rin’s shirt in trembling fingers and not let go. It’s the only thing his brain can process.

“Does this mean you love me?” Rin’s hand closes over his wrist, other hand going to tip Haru’s chin up and he doesn’t realize until now that he’s closed his eyes. The first thing he sees is Rin’s pupils blown wide, the sight of a man in love.

Haru has never been in love, so he wonders if this is what it feels like: chest swelling when the person you’ve been spiritually connected with in body and water looks at you with desperate, gleaming eyes. 

“I don’t know what the hell else it could mean.” Haru breaks their gaze, unable to look at Rin as he speaks.

“Haru.” Rin kisses the cheek turned toward him. “Do you love me?”

He begins to relax into Rin’s grasp, into the guy’s lips pressed to his forehead in a kiss. “I don’t know.” Haru’s hand reaches to grab Rin’s in his own. “I’m already tied up in everything you do…isn’t that enough?”

Haru shivers as Rin sighs relief against his skin. “I think I know what you mean.” He’s pulled into a tight embrace, and he wants to lift his arms, wrap them around Rin as well, but he feels like his strength has completely left him.

In the next moment Haru is falling before the bed meets his back. And then Rin is over him and kissing him and pressing against him.  Haru can feel the pads of Rin’s fingers more acutely than ever as they brush down his neck, and he wonders if it’s because he knows he’s being loved by Rin.

Haru sinks into the mattress as he’s kissed again and again. He’s not sure how much time passes, but eventually their twisting lips part and Rin’s tongue is sweeping through Haru’s mouth and he’s pulling Rin closer but never close enough. They take their time divesting clothes, jammers, legskins, until it’s only their skin rubbing together.

And then Rin is flipping Haru onto his stomach, ass in the air, kissing his way down Haru’s back, dipping in to lick the dimples in his hips and Haru bites his lip to muffle his groan. He nearly draws blood, though when he’s surprised by Rin’s tongue tracing up the crack in his ass.  And when he feels Rin spread his cheeks and his tongue begin to probe him it feels like the air is sucked from his lungs as a warm rush floods to the place he’s being licked.

“S-stop!” Haru gasps as he feels Rin’s hot tongue pressing to wiggle further inside him.  He’s too weak from the surprisingly amazing sensation of Rin’s stubble chafing against the sensitive skin closer to his hole to push the guy away. “That’s…that’s _dirty_!”

Rin snickers and nips at his right cheek, nosing his way along his perineum, then takes the same trail with his tongue. “Doesn’t taste dirty.”

To keep his wails from projecting through the walls Haru bunches the sheets in his mouth and huffs what little air he can get in through his nose. It’s already too much so when Rin sneaks his hand under and tugs at Haru’s weeping dick and it’s not long before he’s sobbing into the sheet he’s clutching and cumming in Rin’s hand.

He’s not given much time to recover before he’s nudged onto his back. His eyes are still trying to focus when Rin pushes at his leg and he feels wet fingers sliding against and then into his hole.  “I’m sorry.” Haru’s not sure what Rin needs to be sorry about but groans and continues to stare dazedly at the guy as his ass is stretched. “I know we have practice tomorrow, but I can’t wait much longer.”

He can only nod his consent.  Haru knows he should care, but after this emotional roller coaster he’d been on the previous week, he really just wants Rin inside him, to claim him, because Rin is _his_ and somehow he feels that if Rin can leave a mark on him, _in_ him, that it’ll be a visceral reminder that this guy _belongs_ to him.

But this feels different. Usually when Rin is on top he’s a snarky asshole that likes to tease Haru, but now that he can see Rin’s face, he’s shocked by how naked his eyes are. 

And Haru realizes that wanting Rin like this, wanting to absorb every aspect of this guy into his body, must mean that he’s in love with Rin.

Then he’s pressing into Haru and it _hurts_ , the initial stretch and burn, feeling like he’s being torn apart, but he _needs_ this pain, because enduring this little bit is the only way he can express what he’s feeling right now. Haru strokes the guy’s face, letting him know it’s okay to move, and his heart clenches as Rin turns his head to kiss his palm and begins moving slowly but it’s not long before Rin’s thrusts are speeding up and his cock finds _that spot_ and Haru has to suppress his moans.

And when he can’t keep his voice down any longer Rin slips hand over his mouth to muffle his cries.

Through the pain Haru feels a warmth spread in his chest, feels Rin’s hair brushing his face, feels Rin’s hot breath gasping into his ear, “I love you.” Haru’s cheeks flush as he cries into his lover’s hand. “I love you so fucking much, Haru.”

And Haru pushes the hand off his mouth and finds he’s saying, “Me, too.”  Because even if he can’t say the words out right, at least this much should be okay for now.

He feels Rin’s tears hot on his cheek and grabs the guy’s head, wiping at his eyes with the pads of his thumbs.  Haru tells Rin to stop crying and a shock pulses through his body when Rin laughs, a choked yet gentle sound that’s brightened by his blinding smile and Haru can’t help thinking it’s the most heart-breakingly beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

 “Asshole.” The words are not harsh, not the way Rin says them now. “You’re crying, too!”

Indeed, now that they’ve stopped moving Haru can now feel the pressure behind his eyes pushing tears through. He blushes and turns his head away and this time he can hear and feel Rin’s laugh against his neck.

Haru hopes he’ll be able to hear that laugh forever.

Then, when they start to move again, when the guy’s cock brushes that place inside him again, Rin has to move his hand back up to cover Haru’s mouth to conceal his moans. Rin’s not completely unaffected, either, and he bites Haru’s shoulder so hard that he’s drawing blood. And then Haru’s dick is being stroked and he feels the same comfort water brings to him as Rin draws out his orgasm. As he comes down from the waves that rush through his body, Haru pulls Rin into another kiss. He feels when Rin comes, the warmth pulsing inside him, and Rin crying into his mouth.

After, when Rin has pulled out, Haru feels like he can’t get enough of touching the guy. His cheek rubs against the guy’s chest and his fingers plays with Rin’s soft hair, and Haru feels himself still in a dreamspace where he hasn’t quite realized that in reality Rin loves him. He’s not sure what they’re supposed to do now that they’re officially in love (or how they should act) but whatever they’re doing right now it feels right.

Eventually they cool down, Haru pressed into Rin’s neck, Rin nosing Haru’s temple, and Haru feels that the warmth of their embrace is like being enveloped by the water. Rin’s fingers stroking over his ribs, their legs brushing together, each subtle movement sends a rush through him that Haru’s never felt before, even in all the times they’ve had sex.

“Hey, Haru.” Rin presses a kiss to his ear. “Just now, that wasn’t anything like we’ve had before.”  Haru can only nod and snuggle deeper into his lover.

His lover.

The words no longer hold a technical meaning, he realizes and Haru is surprised to find that simply thinking of Rin as his _lover_ sends a pleasant warmth through him. The thought of possibly spending his life with the guy no longer scares him. Haru doesn’t need to think about what they’ll tell their families, or what they might do after the Olympics is over, because right now Rin is with him and Haru knows that he wants it to stay that way.

He winces as he shifts against the guy and the bite mark Rin left that is beginning to scab over twists open. Haru isn’t looking forward to the jabs he’ll most likely be receiving the next day.

“Next time you want to bite, do it somewhere that others won’t see.”

“Huh?” Haru moves so Rin can see his shoulder. “Ah, sorry.” A kiss is placed over the wound. “I got a little car—OWWW!”

Haru almost falls off the bed when Rin jerks back. “DID YOU JUST FUCKING _BITE_ ME!?”

“It’s only fair,” Haru looks away, pouting, but he can still see Rin roll his eyes.

“You really know how to ruin the moment, don’t you? And another thing, don’t you think that others will noti—HEY! Are you listening to me?”

Haru had rolled onto his side, facing away from Rin.  He hears the guy sigh and slips in behind him, cuddling around Haru as he was hoping. “I’m listening.”

Rin picks up his train of thought. Haru feels content, here with Rin’s arms around him, warm breath on his neck as he chatters about what they’re going to do tomorrow. He feels so comfortable that Haru slips into a dream, one where the world is an endless ocean, where you can breathe under water and stay suspended without drifting to the surface. And Rin is there, taking his hand, showing him brilliant landscapes and sights he’ll never forget.

~*~

His eyes follow as Rin skates through the water, and Haru is relieved that he’s more or less back to normal. They still have a few things that need to be ironed out—Rin told him about his conversation with Makoto, which left Haru torn between annoyed and infuriated with his boyfriend—but right now they have to focus. There are only a few months until they fly to Rio, and even less time to fight for a spot on the Japan medley relay team.

Watching Rin push himself like this makes Haru ache to rival for a place alongside him in the relay.

“He seems to be back to normal.” Haru looks up just as Mikoshiba sits next to him on the bench. “Did you guys fuck out your problems?”

He flushes, and draws a knee to his chest so he can rest his chin and obscure his face at the same time. There’s no point in hiding it from this guy, so Haru manages to nod.

“I can tell, and by the way everyone’s talking about the twin bites you guys have on your shoulders.” Haru pulls his other knee up, but it’s no use hiding the hot blush that’s expanded across his entire body.

“Don’t worry, I just told them that you guys have a strange way of fighting, and that I forced you to kiss and make up.” Haru rolls his eyes; clearly this guy is just fueling any gossip.

“That guy gets depressed so easily, doesn’t he?” Haru looks up just as Rin is pulling himself out of the pool. “Take good care of him. He’s got a lot of potential, and I don’t want to see him wasting that energy by beating himself up. Make him channel it into securing a spot on the relay team instead.”

Haru can feel himself smile and nods. “Yeah, I’ll make sure to kick his ass into shape next time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Haru winces as Mikoshiba gives his bitten shoulder a hard slap.

“The hell are you two grinning about over here?” Rin pads over to them, towel draped over his head.

“Oh, Matsuoka! Speak of the devil!” Mikoshiba’s raucous laugh seems to spread through the air like electricity through water. “I was just telling Nanase here how nice it is to have my girlfriend’s brother with me. It’s almost like I get to see her every day!”

“Why you—”

“Kidding, kidding!” Even Mikoshiba’s infectious smile can’t wipe the sneer from Rin’s face. Haru thinks it actually has the opposite effect. “But we _were_ chatting about the relay. I’m shooting for the all-freestyle team so you guys do your best with the medley!” Mikoshiba claps his hand on Rin’s shoulder. “You can do it, this time.”

As Mikoshiba walks away from them, Haru knows the guy’s referring to the relay in high school that Rin was pulled from. He looks up at his boyfriend, almost expecting to see his eyes pained from that memory, but the determination he finds instead seems to be radiating in an aura around him.

Rin looks at him. “You done for the day?” He nods, and follows Rin to the changing room. They make their way to the dining hall with the rest of the crowd and eat in relative silence.  When they get back to to Rin’s room that evening Haru slides in behind him and wraps around him as Rin checks his e-mail.  They’re both surprised when they find Makoto has sent them a clip of Nagisa bragging about them on TV.

_“Haru-chaaaan, Rin-chaaan! Good luck in the Olympics!”_

Apparently Nagisa had recently been hired on a variety show.  He’s not one of the featured hosts, but rather he’s the guy that does crazy dares and stunts to make everyone laugh.  He’s perfect for the part.

Nagisa sits at the end of a panel, chatting with the main hosts. _“So Hazuki-kun, you went to school with Nanase Haruka and Matsuoka Rin?”_

“That little shit.” Rin is smiling, and Haru rests his chin on Rin’s shoulder.

_“Just Haru-chan; we went to the same High School, and Rin-chan went to a different school!”_

_“So how do you know Matsuoka-san, then?”_

If it’s possible Nagisa’s face lights up even more. Haru wonders if he’s grown again since they last saw him. _“Rin-chan transferred to our swimming club in 6 th grade, and he went to school with Haru-chan and Mako-chan for their last semester in elementary school.”_

_“Mako-chan? Is he the other young boy in this picture?”_

_“Yep!”_ The picture that’s followed Haru for over half of his life is flashed on the screen. _“That’s a race we won in 6 th grade!”_

_“Nanase-san seemed to be a very serious young man.”_

_“Yep! Haru-chan is always smiling on the inside, though.”_

_“Then this picture is from High School?”_

Nagisa beams as the next relay picture is featured. _“Ah, that brings back great memories!”_

Nagisa continues chatting with the hosts, never giving too much away but teasing the audience into wanting to know more.  Eventually Nagisa jumps on the table and strips off his outfit—already wearing his jammers—and announces that he and his crew have been filming their own water Olympics. The series of events that follows includes Nagisa and others doing various activities in a pool. They joust with pool noodles on rafts. They have to answer trivia questions and if they get one wrong they’re shot at by a heavy stream of water that knocks them into the pool.  Haru starts to grit his teeth when they grease up watermelons for a relay race because oil doesn’t mix well with water and they’re _ruining_ a perfectly good pool.

But he can’t be mad for long, because Nagisa’s antics have Rin gasping with laughter.  Haru can’t see from the way he’s wrapped around his boyfriend, but he can feel Rin’s soul piecing together again.

It’s this euphoria they’re sharing that has Haru thinking that maybe they don’t need to worry about how they’ll come out to their parents, or what they’ll do after the Olympics, because as long as they have each other, as long as they have support from their friends, maybe it really all will work out in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna do a cop out with Makoto because I don’t want to get into his story as it’s too much work to create an original character, especially with how much I want to get out before the end of Free!.
> 
> Plus, I can’t decide whether or not he would fall in love with a man or woman. He seems to be the “good son” so I’d say maybe a woman? But who knows, as long as he’s happy, too. <3
> 
> Rest assured, by the end of this chapter, Makoto has recovered enough that he’s pasted his mask back on (as he seems to do quite easily in cannon) and that his story will eventually turn out happy, too.
> 
> I hope this chapter heals some of you after Wednesday's episode! I know writing it has helped me out a lot ^_^


	15. Celebrities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Nagisa mentioning them on national television, Rin and Haru are sudden celebrities across Japan. They're exhausted from the immediate attention, and decide they need a night out on the town to clear their heads.

Thanks to Nagisa’s endorsements on a national television program, Haru and Rin are an overnight sensation in Japan.

Haru is relieved to be training in the US—less people to annoy them—although that hasn’t hindered various pre-Olympics reporters to stop by and pester them during practice. He knows that Nagisa never meant for things to get so out of hand, and the guy is even taking steps to keep their fans at bay.

Nagisa and Rei set up twitter accounts for Rin and Haru, and while Rin maintains his own account, he’ll often supply Nagisa with pictures and stories to post on Haru’s. Of course, Nagisa tends to embellish a bit—once even posting, “Hanging out at the pool with Rin-rin.” to Rin’s horror—but it’s better than keeping the account himself.

Until this point Haru had never even considered that he might become a—he has trouble even thinking the word— _celebrity_ just for swimming. It’s really annoying, and by the end of the second week, he’s had enough of the fan mail and the reporters, and _everyone_.

He just wants to _swim_.

And he wants Rin.

Rin seems to be basking in this celebrity thing. Haru thinks he might not like his boyfriend receiving so much attention, but when Rin starts to answer questions for Haru during interviews, he can’t help but just feel relieved.  At least for now Haru’s jealousy is under control.

Plus, Rin has been a lot clingier lately.

They’d always spent most of their time together even outside of practice, but now, when alone in their rooms, Rin is always touching Haru, whether they’re sitting side by side and their shoulders touching, or holding hands, or bodies pressed together in a heated kiss. Rin says it’s their honeymoon phase, and that they need to savor it as long as possible before they’re snapping at each other’s throats again. Haru’s not sure if that’s a good thing—aren’t couples supposed to always get along? Even though he hadn’t much interaction with his parents in his later childhood they always seemed happy together—but regardless, touching Rin even in the slightest feels good, so he’s not going to complain.

And right now he has no choice _other_ than to clutch Rin’s shirt in his hand so he doesn’t lose the guy in the crowd.

It's Saturday night and Rin decided they need a night out on the town.  They took a bus into the city and are planning to spend the night in a hotel. There’s a chain of clubs that they’d heard about and Rin has been wanting to go. Haru is less enthusiastic but gave in because Rin just…he looked _so_ excited.

And Haru knows that he has to give in once in a while when Rin wants to do something he’s not crazy about. He’s thinking it’s not so bad, though, when Rin takes his hand once they’re inside the club, and pulls him to a corner lounging area.  Rin orders them drinks (nothing alcoholic) and Haru feels like Rin is allowing him to adjust to the atmosphere which, he has to admit, actually is pretty exciting.

“Hey boys, where you from?” They look up to see a set of women dressed in…well, kind of wrapped in cloth that is barely covering things that need to be covered. Haru can feel his face flush and he looks away.

“Ah, we’re from Japan.” Rin smiles at the women who sit in chairs across from them.

“Cool! So you’re like ninjas, right?”

His boyfriend laughs nervously. “No, we’re swimmers.”

“Wow! Really?” The lady with the platinum blonde hair leans forward, exposing much more of her breasts and Haru decides it’s not safe to look anywhere other than  down at his hands. “So we saw you two boys all alone and thought you might like to dance?”

“Sorry, we’re actually on a date.” Haru hears the word ‘date’ and his head shoots up to look at Rin desperately.

“Really?” The woman sounds surprised. “We didn’t see you come in with anyone.”

Rin slips his arm around Haru’s waist, and _kisses_ him in front of the women and the _whole club_!

At first Haru is too shocked to do anything other than stare at his lover with wide eyes that can’t seem to focus, but then he looks around the room, realizing the women are walking away from them, and turns back on his boyfriend, infuriated. “What the _hell_ are you thinking!?”

Rin shrugs and takes a sip of his drink. “Had to get rid of them somehow.”

“But we’re in _public_!”

“Says the guy that strips in public when he sees a body of water he can soak in.”

“That’s different.” Haru glares. “And you’ve done that _too_.”

“Only a few times, but never at a pet store, or at an indoor fountain or at a _restaurant_.” Rin leans in and laughs against his shoulder. “It was a _lobster tank_ for crying out loud!”

“They had rubber bands around their pincers.” Haru can feel his face heat up, not from embarrassment from the story, but because Rin is holding his hand now and nosing his neck. “Rin…”

“We’ll never see these people again.” The guy kisses his throat and Haru can feel his resolve weakening. “We’re just a couple of guys in a packed club.” Rin kisses his way up until he’s captured Haru’s lips in a kiss. “When will we ever be able to do this again?”

He’s right, they’ll _never_ be able to do this again, not with this new public image they have back in Japan. A thrill creeps inside him as Rin kisses him again, in front of all these _people_ , and when he feels himself being tugged to the dance floor, he doesn’t resist.

“Watch me,” Rin tells him, and starts to circle his hips. It’s probably years of swimming butterfly that is the reason Rin can move so fluidly. Haru tries to copy his lover, but thinks that he must be doing something wrong and just feels…silly. “No, here, come closer.” Rin pulls him so they’re pressed together and moving at the same time and Haru feels like butterflies are bursting from his stomach.

He looks up and Rin’s face is _right there_ , eyes looking into his, and with their bodies pressed together and the music bass pumping through every cell in his body, and the noise from the crowd dulling to a static hum he can’t help but lean in so that their lips are pressing together as well. 

It feels like he’s drowning.

Haru hasn’t kissed many people in his life—only Makoto once and Rin more times than he can count—but he’s never experienced a kiss that feels like air is being sucked from his lungs.  Their bodies are rolling together, against each other, and it’s Rin’s thigh pressing against his hardening dick that pulls him back to reality.

He barely has time to pull back before Rin is already tugging him off the dance floor.  Everything is too loud, so he can’t ask where they’re going because his voice will just get lost in the crowd.

A row of lit-up doors comes into view and Rin pulls him through one of the doors.

It’s a toilet.

A fairly…spacious toilet.

“Rin…” Haru can’t say much before Rin has him pressed against the wall. He wonders briefly if the door has even locked behind them.  But Rin is unbuttoning his pants, pushing them down, and Haru feels Rin’s hot cock pressing against his own.

He’s really _hard_.

Haru gasps as Rin grips both of them and strokes. His mind is already gone and Haru lifts his hand to stroke with his lover.

“Ah!” Apparently this has taken Rin by surprise, and Haru feels the guy curve into his shoulder. He can just see Rin from the corner of his eye and the way he looks now, eyebrows bunched in concentration, jaw slack and beautiful sounds dropping from his lips that will be lost in the flood of music outside the room. It has Haru’s dick stiffening harder if that is possible. He raises his other hand to stroke through Rin’s hair, pulling him into a kiss.

Rin spills first, cum dribbling over their hands and dripping to the floor. Haru opens his eyes and it’s Rin’s face, twisted in ecstasy that has him moaning deeply just before he feels his orgasm pulse through him.

Haru barely has time to cool his body before Rin laughs against his neck. "We can’t even properly _dance_ together for five minutes without wanting to fuck.”

“We didn’t do…that.” Haru has never been able to speak as vulgar as Rin. “We just used our hands.”

Rin leans in and his hot breath is on Haru’s ear. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna fuck all night long.” He gasps as Rin’s hand clutches his still bare ass. “I reserved a corner suite, so you can be as loud as you want.”

Haru scoffs and pushes his lover back. “ _You’re_ the one that gets noisy.”

“You’re right.” Rin smirks. “I wish you’d be a little louder sometimes.”

Haru turns on the built-in sink to wash his hands.  “You’re loud enough for the both of us.”

Rin curls around him from behind. “Because I can’t control myself when I’m with you.”

Haru jumps when he feels Rin bite at his ear and pushes the guy back. “Get washed up and let’s go!” He can feel Rin’s laughter echo off the walls around them but Rin does as he’s told and they exit the bathroom. He can see Rin wave at someone out of the corner of his eye and he looks in the direction the guy is waving. The girls that had been hitting on them earlier are glaring daggers.

Rin slips an arm around his shoulder and Haru doesn’t push it off. “Don’t tease them too much. They could be psychopaths that follow and ambush us outside the hotel.” Rin laughs and directs Haru outside where the hot night air hangs in a haze thicker than inside the cramped club.

“No worries, I’ll tell the cab driver to lose them if they get on our tail.”  Haru rolls his eyes, because it’s not like this is some sort of movie. But before he can say anything else Rin is opening the door to a cab and Haru slips in behind him. Rin gives the driver the address and then slides his fingers through Haru’s.

The ride to the hotel is peaceful, and Haru thinks that maybe just for tonight he can afford to let go a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t been to many clubs in my life, but one I’ve been to has a row of doors and each of the doors have a toilet and sink in them. When they’re vacant they’re lit up, but when in use the light goes out. It’s really cool :D


	16. Natural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have a commercial to shoot for their Olympic sponsor, and Haru can't act...  
> What will Rin do to get this guy camera-friendly?

It’s useless; Haru can’t act.

Rin groans as the commercial director calls _CUT_ for what seems like the hundredth time. They’re filming a promotional ad for their sponsor, _Aquius_ , and Rin has already filmed his contribution. In fact, he’d gotten a lot of… _attention_ …from many of the female crew members so now any time any of the crew members approached him—even something as simple as offering him a fresh towel—he can feel Haru’s eyes piercing into him.  If Rin could help the fact that he's _just_ that charming, he might feel guilty that the attention might be affecting Haru.

But even so, Haru can’t act.

He has two lines: “Play fierce” which is the slogan for their sponsor. All he has to do is say the line and look at the audience with a “fierce” expression.

Instead he looks into the camera with a bored demeanor and reads the lines like a normal person would comment on the weather.

They’d tried everything. They gave Haru the beverage to drink so they could just do a voice over, but it was too sweet and it almost put the guy in a sugar coma. They splashed Haru with water hoping it would hype him up but instead he became tranquil and the total opposite of _fierce_. They even called Nagisa who was now at the studio—“Haru-chan! I’ll teach you all the tricks I’ve learned!”—but not even Nagisa’s enthusiasm or tips (the guy really _had_ learned a lot!) could fire Haru up.

Rin should’ve known that Haru can’t act.

He really didn’t think it would be quite _this_ bad when the idea was first brought up, and actually, the shots of him, Haru and Mikoshiba racing had turned out really well. But that had been just like any other race. Whenever Rin is in the water with Haru, the charge between them is enough to motivate the guy’s competitive drive.  They have cameras on them all the time during practices for form review, so the race didn’t really feel all that much different.

“Wow, this is like when we taught Rei-chan how to swim…” Nagisa sits in the chair next to him, watching Haru mess up another take. Even though Rin wasn’t there when they taught speedo boy to swim, he’s certain it’s probably not far from the truth.

“Matsuoka-san, I saw your tea was empty so I brought you some more.”

A group of women have appeared in front of him, even though only one person is ever needed to deliver _one_ cup of tea.

Rin had been liking the attention before, but this was ridiculous.

He pastes on a polite smile and accepts the tea. “Ahh, thank you.”

“Hey, Rin-chan.” Nagisa tugs on his sleeve when the women leave. “Don’t you think the air’s suddenly gone really cold?”

In fact a shiver passes through him the moment Nagisa brings it up. He looks around and sure enough, Haru—who’s having his make-up re-touched—is glaring at the women who’d brought him the tea.

Rin sighs.

“This isn’t working.” He stands and heads to the director before Nagisa can say anything.

As he approaches the director looks at him, eyes with dark circles and wrinkles that are probably getting deeper the longer he has to put up with Haru’s lack of dramatic talent. “Can I help you?”

“Let me talk to him for a minute.”  The director raises an eyebrow. “I’m gonna try to get him to visualize something that might help.”

The director sighs. “Well, anything is better than what we have,” He gestures at the cameras. “So if you can, please try.” Rin nods and makes his way over to Haru just as the make-up person is leaving.

Right away Haru grips his shirt. “Don’t get so friendly with those women.”

Rin rolls his eyes and puts both hands over the one clenched in his shirt. “I can’t exactly be rude to them until after we’re done working on this commercial.”

Rin can’t help but think that a brooding Haru is really cute. “Besides, the quicker we can get your shot secured, the quicker we can leave.”

Haru’s face relaxes and he nods. “And the quicker we can go back to the pool.”

“Exactly! So listen up, I’ve got an idea.” Haru looks at him with eager child-like eyes and Rin has to stomp down the fuzzy feelings bubbling up in him thinking that his boyfriend _looks SO cute_. “Imagine you’re shooting a commercial for pool water.” Haru gives him a funny look and Rin continues quickly before his idea can get rejected. “No, wait. Imagine it’s a commercial promoting pool water, and that you’re telling _me_ to 'play fierce', like before we race, right?”

Haru looks thoughtful, and Rin is relieved that they might _finally_ get something out of him. “I can try it.”

“Good!” Rin claps his hands and turns to the director. “Okay! I think we’ve got it!”

The director nods and Haru turns so his back is facing them. Someone gives him a bottle of _Aquius_ and the director calls to roll film.

“Aaaaaaand, action!”

Haru whips his head toward the camera, eyes sparkling and a beautiful, coy flush on his cheeks. “Play fierce!”

The room is silent, and the director is so shocked that he doesn’t even call for them to cut scene.

And Rin is about ready to kill something.

_No, no, NO! NOT HIS SEX FACE!_ Rin is pulling at his hair because _NO ONE_ other than him should be allowed to see that!  Rin looks around and suddenly all the women that were fawning over him are now staring at Haru and blushing.

_Fuck, no! Everyone needs to forget that image right NOW!_

Finally, the one to break the silence is Nagisa. “Umm, I have a suggestion!” The director slouches and weakly gestures for Nagisa to speak up. “Well…you might have to change a few things, but I think this might work…”

~*~

The shot switches from a man sparring in judo, to a woman teeing off in golf, to a pair executing a complicated move in table tennis, and a dozen other sports. Finally Mikoshiba, Rin and Haru are racing across the screen, freestyle, and then they’re being tossed bottles of Aquius and knocking them together in salute.

A splash of the product _Aquius_ and announcing they’re an official Olympic sponsor is next, and then it flashes to a shot of the three guys standing in the pool. Rin is grinning at the camera, snapping his goggles into place. Mikoshiba holds a bottle of the beverage in a pose, and Haru is…well just the top of his head is peeking out of the water.

“ _Play fierce!_ ” Is Mikoshiba’s line before the commercial cuts off.

Haru moves the mouse and clicks out of the browser on the computer where they’d been watching the video.

"You really suck at acting.” Rin sniggers into his boyfriend’s neck. He’s been wrapped around his boyfriend’s back since they walked into Haru’s room after practice.

Haru scoffs. “I’m a swimmer, it’s not necessary.”

“It is when you want your sponsor to continue endorsing you…” Rin nips at the guy’s shoulder. “Oh well, it all worked out anyway. We finished the commercial, and it seems like Nagisa made a new contact with the director.”

Haru nods. “He’ll be a good actor.”

This makes Rin smile, because he knows this is Haru’s way of admitting that Nagisa was the one to saved the entire commercial shoot.

But with this hurdle over, it means that the big event is getting closer.

“Hey, Haru.” Rin tightens his hold. “Wanna go for a run?”

His lover twists around to look him in the eyes. “Are you okay?”

Rin smiles. “Of course!” He leans in to give his boyfriend a chaste kiss. “I was just thinking that we don’t have much time left…”

Haru seems to understand. “Okay, change and meet me back here.”

And as Rin dashes to his own room to change, he can feel a nervous rush fly through his body, because in just a month they’ll be flying to Rio for the Olympics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, it didn't fit in anywhere, so I'll say it here. They flew to Tokyo just for the commercial shoot (which is why Nagisa was able to get to them without a problem).  
> To help you picture Haru’s “sex face” think of when he’s whipping his hair from the front in the ED club scene and mix that with Rei’s sparkly text message scene from episode 9 XD  
> Also, bonus points to anyone who can guess the name of their sponsor in RL. Hint: they’re an official sponsor of the Olympics, and a real sports drink in Japan and various other countries!  
> I wanted to use "Pocket Sweat" (aka Pocari Sweat) but I don't think they're an Olympic sponsor T_T  
> Olympics is up next! Then an epilogue, and I might do a few scenes that were "fade to black" in this story ^_^


	17. The Olympics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Haru are competing in the Medely Relay race for Team Japan.

It’s time.

Haru has never been so nervous because he and Rin are representing Team Japan in the 4x100 Medley Relay.

Their team didn’t advance in the 4x100 Freestyle Relay (for which Haru, Mikoshiba and Rin were slated to compete in the finals) but they were strong when it came to the Medley.  They already raced their individual strokes and both Rin and Haru won silver. That moment, having an Olympic medal placed around his neck and watching Rin’s face light up when he won his own race, Haru thought that there couldn’t be a better feeling in the world.

But then Rin had to go and say what he did the previous night.

“Promise me something, Haru.” Rin gripped his hands, warm forehead pressed against his own. “Promise me that we’ll win tomorrow.”

Promise him?  That’s not something anyone can predict. To promise such a thing would be inviting the universe to hand them the opposite result.

But then again, the universe had given Rin a fairly normal life until his father died, a talent that might never have evolved beyond recreation, and a determination that was greater than any athlete he’d ever met.

Rin didn’t let the universe hand him things; he _made_ them happen.

And his fiery perseverance was infectious, spilling into Haru as it always did, and he promised Rin that they _would_ win.

So here they are, minutes away from the race and his heart is thumping so loud he’s certain everyone can hear it. Even Rin, who’s blocking out all outside noise by listening to music blaring on his iPod.  Haru has no idea what Rin listens to, but he decides to ask the guy later.

He jumps when he feels Rin’s hand brush against his briefly and looks up, and into Rin’s eyes. They’re dark with a tenacious power that swallows Haru until he too, can feel it crawling white-hot through his veins.  Rin nods once, and stares ahead, jumping in place to keep his muscles warm.

Haru can’t stand still either. Not because he _has_ to keep moving (which really he does) but because Rin has filled him with a violent itch that can’t be satisfied until he’s in the water.

_Soon_.

The passing moments are a blur as they call their team, and all four of them—Mikoshiba, Suzuki, Matsuoka, Nanase—step out into the roar of the crowd. They link hands, acknowledge the audience, and head for their block, number five.

He can feel a kinetic energy from the other teams—the French, the Australians, the reigning champions: the Americans—but he’s built an aura to block them out so they’re only tiny pin pricks in his periphery.  Instead he lets his soul entwine with Mikoshiba, Suzuki, and Rin.

With Rin.

Rin’s energy alone has Haru feeling like he’ll explode.

They throw their warm-ups in their box, stretch the last few minutes, and the ready mark causes a thrill to shoot through him.  Mikoshiba enters the water, gets ready, and they’re off.

He doesn’t watch—his eyes are on Rin; his every move now must sync with Rin—but he can feel Mikoshiba plow through the water, strong and dynamic.  Haru trusts that his team is so connected that they’ll drive through this like a well-oiled machine.

He can feel Suzuki next, but he sees Rin, gulping deep breaths and it takes everything in him to not reach out and wrap his arms around his lover.  Rin must feel this desperate energy from Haru because he turns around briefly and throws Haru a beautiful smile, but before Haru is ready for him to look away, Rin climbs onto the block, poised and beautiful, sinews contracted to spring forth like a lion in the brush, honing in on its prey.

Haru watches in slow motion as Rin slides under the surface, and then coasts along like a water strider. He doesn’t have much time to admire such a beautiful creature gliding through the water. He shakes out his muscles one last time, steps onto the block and readies himself like a loaded gun.  Rin is only ten meters away, five meters, and when he _feels_ his boyfriend slap the wall his legs launch him forward like a bullet.

The water pulls him in, and he can feel it accepting him, tugging him forward.  When he kicks it’s not against the water, but in sync with the water.  Even though he feels no need for oxygen, his body automatically inhales when his lips touch the air.  On the turn, he feels like a great torpedo shooting through the ocean.

Beneath him the floor of the pool opens up, light spilling into his world. His body moves on instinct and he can feel his teammates, can feel _Rin_ , pulling him to the finish. The moment the concrete brushes his fingers he jerks up, eyes scrambling for the score board.

But he never finds it because he’s being lifted out of the water by many hands and Rin is crushing him in his strong arms.

“Haru, _Haru!_ ”  He feels disoriented even as his skin heats up from his lover suddenly pressed so tight against him. “We fucking did it! Haru!”

And Rin is screaming so loud that Haru is surprised he hasn’t been kissed yet, but two other sets of arms encase them and there’s so much noise and movement that he can’t tell if his feet are even on the ground anymore.

“We won?” It’s a stupid question but Haru still wonders if this isn’t some grand elaborate dream.

But Rin’s tears are hot and laugh thick and very real against his neck. “We fucking won, Haru!”

He chokes back an embarrassing noise and feels his nails digging into skin. And Haru thinks that this feeling, a euphoria so heavy that it’s crushing every cell in his body…

_This_ is why he swims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted Rin to jump in the water with Haru after they won, but I wasn't sure if something like that would be grounds for disqualification. I've watched a ton of relay videos and I've never seen that happen, so I thought better be safe and left it out.  
> Anyway, here it is! The climactic chapter!  
> Hang around, though, because there's still an epilogue and I'm gonna do a bunch of "cut scenes" (probably mostly pwp).  
> I also have a ton of ideas for other stories. ^_^  
> Thank you to everyone who's supported me during this time. I wouldn't have been able to post this all without your encouragement!


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this...style...I guess you can call it, was born between finishing _Slaughterhouse V_ and starting _Veronika Decides to Die_ so you can blame Kurt Vonnegut and Paulo Coelho for the time jumps and especially Coelho for the 4th dimensional elements.

Rin wanted to go to Hawaii but Haru had complained it would be too expensive.

Especially since Rin wanted to rent a beach house or a private bungalow. Sure they had the money to afford it thanks to promotional ads (and the one annoying TV commercial) they’d taken part in, but another reason Haru didn’t want to go to Hawaii was because he’d felt overloaded at the Olympics, being surrounded by so many people speaking so many different languages.  So they’d settled on Okinawa.

Rin also wanted to try surfing, and that was fine with Haru as long as he could just soak in the ocean and watch.

Surfing seemed to come naturally to Rin since having strong muscles in his feet only helped with his balance.  Of course, Rin always excelled in any sport that made use of his feet.  Haru was content to just observe, and he was relieved Rin hadn’t turned this into a competition of sorts because he was exhausted.

Not even a week before they’d been in Brazil, and between all the post-Olympic interviews and events, Haru wanted nothing more than to sink into the ocean until the water replenished his energy.  Crowds drained him, and he could handle them when their focus was elsewhere, but as soon as they turned his way and demanded his attention he went into survival mode. He still wasn’t sure how they’d been able to keep the press at bay before the Olympics.   Whoever it was that pulled those strings, he’d be forever in their debt.

Actually, when not preparing with his team, Haru had spent much of his taper alone, soaking in the bath tub, building his energy.  Rin had understood, and the prospect of ending their time at the Rio Olympics swimming in the same lane had been enough to keep Rin focused.  Until the final medal had been placed around their necks they’d barely touched one another in a month.

That night after the medaling ceremony had been…explosive.

Even thinking of it now sends a thrill through him.  They’d slipped away early from victory parties and spent half the night in bed, _not_ sleeping. 

With their Olympic relay gold medals bouncing in their boxes next to them on the bed, Haru had clutched Rin’s thighs, nails digging in as his lover slid inside him. “Breathe…” Rin’s voice had been low and scratchy and his face had been red from holding himself back until Haru gave the okay. From his vantage, with his legs draped over Rin’s shoulders, they’d both been completely exposed.  Neither of them lasted long.

After a nap they’d jerked each other off in the bathtub, and at around 4 in the morning Haru spilt for the last time that night inside Rin. He’d been exhausted, running on fumes, yet somehow simply being _with_ Rin—whether sitting on the couch together or swimming together or tangled together _in bed_ —always lent him energy.

And since that night, Haru has spent every night after wrapped around his boyfriend. He’d entirely expected it from Rin (seeing how romantic the guy is) but he’s surprised himself, because he’s never in his life had the _desire_ to cuddle.

But with Rin it’s different. Rin is warm and hard, yet soft in all the right places. And the way he curls his arm around him, pulls Haru flush against his strong chest just before they fall asleep together…the rush that flows through his body is nothing he’s ever felt before. It makes him feel content, safe…

It makes him feel loved.

“Haru.” Rin’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts and he looks up as his boyfriend walks out of the water looking like a dazzling sea creature that was just given legs. He stabs the surfboard into the sand and flops to sit next to Haru, dropping his head to his shoulder. “Ahhhhh, I’m tired!”

“You were out there for a while,” Haru agrees, brushing his fingers against Rin’s knee.  Before he can pull away Rin grabs his hand and laces their fingers.  He raises their clasped hands to his lips and slowly kisses each knuckle. Haru thinks he’d usually blush at such a gesture but right now he’s so relaxed and warmed by his lover’s closeness and the privacy they have at this stretch of the beach (he hasn’t seen another person since Rin’s surfing instructor left an hour before) that he simply smiles and leans in to press his lips to Rin’s.

"Haru, I love you..." Rin’s voice is low and he nuzzles and then kisses Haru’s neck.

And since Haru is a man of few words he doesn’t say _those_ words back, not yet. “Me, too.”

It would take 5 more years, but Haru eventually tells Rin he loves him. After they win their second set of medley relay gold medals in Tokyo, after Rin would become an Olympic coach and Haru works at an aquarium in Tokyo. Rin would show up early one evening as Haru is cleaning up, the rest of the staff gone for the day. He’d press Haru against the window to the dolphin tank and kiss him and then give him a ring and formally ask Haru to stay with him forever.

“You don’t need to ask,” he’d say, because by this point to not stay with Rin forever would be too painful.

And then he’d say _I love you._

They’d make love that evening, Haru kissing every inch of his face until Rin stops crying.

And when Rin retires from upper-level coaching they’d move back to Iwatobi and live in Haru’s family home and become swim coaches at a newly erected Iwatobi Swim Club. The remainder of their lives would be lived in relative peace until the day they leave the world as we understand it.

Rin would die two months before Haru’s 92nd birthday.  He’d be filled with cancer, and he’d die in a hospital with Haru by his side. His last words would be, “Wait until you see this…” and they’d be whispered under an oxygen mask. Haru would be the only one to hear, as he’d die four hours later in the same hospital’s emergency room, not from cancer but from a heavy heart.  He’d see the same sight as Rin just before, but the nurses and doctors would only see a shimmer in his eyes before his life passes through, following Rin (always following Rin) into a sight not visible in the third dimension.  A sight where they can move forward and back in time as they please.

Back to the young age of five when Haru stood on a windswept dock, Makoto clutching him for dear life, as a procession floated along.  A time when Haru first laid eyes on Rin, and their paths first crossed.

Forward to a decrepit building, the rotting corpse of a once lively swimming school. That night marked their second first meeting, the night when the fire returned to Haru once again.

Back: a sakura tree not yet in bloom as Rin selfishly announced he was leaving and taking Haru's heart with him.

Forward: that summer day their third year of high school when Haru told Rin he’d follow him to the Olympics.

Back: Rin sobbing over the words Haru had carved in the dirt, Forward: Haru tearing up the last time a gold medal is placed around Rin’s neck.

And back and forth through the strings of time, living and reliving precious moments, even moments that never happened, moments that might have happened. 

Like if there had been no tsunami to kill Rin’s father, they would still meet in elementary school, and Rin’s father would point to Haruka and tell his son that to go Olympic he’d need to beat that boy.  And then Rin’s father might die a month, maybe two later in a boating accident, or maybe just before Rin is born (Rin’s father always dies, always gives up his life so Rin can become an extraordinary person, so that Rin can have a reason to chase Haru) and he’d always seek Haru out.  Maybe he’d challenge Haru instead of recruit him for a relay, maybe he’d lose every time at the 100m sprint, maybe he’d not leave Japan until he could beat Haru, and then he’d realize he never really needs to _beat_ Haru if they’re going to swim together.

Maybe they’d see that they’ve been rivals and lovers many times before and many to come. Once before they’d been a traveler and prince in the Middle East.  Next they’ll be sea people, living and breathing in the water.

But this moment, right now, is the most peaceful they’ll ever have in all their lives: Rin’s arm around his shoulder, Haru’s head nestled against his cheek as they watch the gold sun set just beyond the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh. I'm not totally happy with how this turned out but it'll have to do.
> 
> And for the record, it's not entirely strange for two people to die 4 hours apart. That actually happened to my great grandparents back in 2003 <3
> 
> I'd like to think that Rin and Haru are soulmates, no matter the definition of that word you want to use.
> 
> Anyway this is the end! I hope you enjoyed the ride ^_^
> 
> If I feel like it I might post "cut" scenes...but no promises. I'm currently working on a monster piece that desperately needs my attention T_T so be on the lookout for that!
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


End file.
